Blue Roses and Lithium Thorns part 2
by Kmm1128
Summary: Da'an has chosen to undergo Nye's ritual and must endure a grueling trial of lost memories, inner demons, and the priests themselves. Is he strong enough to survive?
1. Chapter 1

Blue Roses and Lithium Thorns Part 2

I couldn't say this under the summary, but I belive it is my responsibility as the author of this to warn you that this story is very deep and is definitely meant for mature audiences only. This contains a lot of drug references, strong language, and questions about religion. If you are very sensitive about any of these thrings, this story is not for you. For those of you who choose to continue to read this story, all I ask is that you keep an open mind. Finally, I do not condone the use of drugs in any way, shape or form, and the religious references are mere thoughts and questions that have been on my mind for a long time and nothing more. My intent is not to offend anyone here. Therefore, keep an open mind, take the story for what it is, and believe me when I say that if you do decide to continue with me to the very end, you will like it.

Prologue

There is a boy. His legs are to his chest and his back is against a strange blue wall. His head is buried in his knees. He cannot move. He is stiff like a marble sculpture.

…see me…please see me…

There is another one. He looks like he is trying to talk to the boy. He pushes him. He taps his shoulder. He yells. He strikes the boy's knees. Nothing…

An echoing voice. Faint and desperate.

…wake up…

Wake up!

"Wake up!"

Da'an slowly awoke to a woman. He could not make out her face, but he could feel her hitting his shoulder and his face trying to awaken him. Feeling returned slowly to his body, but he could not find the strength to sit up.

He knew this feeling. He had felt it before.

"Da'an! Snap out of it! Wake up!"

Da'an had forgotten how to move for a brief period, and his back hurt. Whoever was calling to him was trying to help him sit upright, however, so he let her move him.

"Da'an, can you hear me? Do you know who I am?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew. He recognized her face, and she had a name. He knew her name, but for some reason he could not put one and the other together.

He had finally managed to regain his sight, and now he felt a strange fatigue. It made him dizzy, and he could feel the cold air on his back. His back still hurt, and there was a strange sick and twisted feeling in his lower abdomen. The energy was flowing through his chest rapidly.

There was another woman now.

"Lay him back down. He's going into shock."

He found himself staring at the ceiling. His whole body was shaking, and he still felt dizzy.

"Da'an, can you hear me?"

Something black and heavy was now on his chest. It felt warm.

"My name's J. Street, and that's Renee. Do you know us?"

"What in the hell did they give him?"

"Liam's here with us. He hasn't waken up yet. We just woke up a few minutes ago. Do you understand anything I'm saying?"

Groaning was about the only sound Da'an could make. The moment he opened his mouth he realized that talking hurt.

"They must've given him something really heavy."

"Da'an, just stay with us. You're gonna be just fine."

Da'an could feel unconsciousness settling in. Slowly, all the feeling in his body shut down. All sounds slowly began to fade, and darkness took him once again.

* * *

Renee's head hurt like a mother, but at least they were all alive. Da'an had regained consciousness for a brief period, but their efforts to reach him were for naught. He had passed out shortly after going into shock.

"I don't know what could've done that to him," she told Street.

"Maybe it's something like morphine," Street suggested.

"Well, if it is, they must've given him enough to put down an elephant," Renee said in frustration.

"Well, there's a whole universe of drugs these people have access to," Street said. "It was probably something more powerful than anything we have."

Liam shifted.

"Good, he's waking up," Renee said rushing over to help him.

Liam groaned and sat up with his hands on his head. "What in the hell did they do to us?"

"We don't know, we just woke up," Street said. "They've drugged Da'an too."

"Is he awake?" Liam asked looking over to make sure.

"He was," Renee said, "but he passed out again."

"Do you know what they gave him?" Street asked.

"What did he look like?" Liam asked feeling Da'an's forehead.

"Paralyzed," Street said. "I think his mind was shot too. He could barely talk."

"He was shivering too. I think he was going into shock," Renee added.

"Well, whatever they gave him isn't Taelon," Liam said. "There's no drug in the world powerful enough to keep him out for this long."

"So what do we do?" Renee asked.

"We wait," Liam answered. "Find out what's happening."

Street looked up to find a strange looking man walking up them. It appeared that he was stopped by virtual glass.

"Is the Taelon all right?" he asked.

"Who wants to know?" Street asked.

"Nye," he replied, "and me."

"Well, you can tell Nye, for us, to go to hell," Renee said, "and that we want out of here right now. Who are you?"

"Under normal circumstances I would tell her to let you go, but you are in the middle of space," he replied. "I doubt dropping you off right now would help you in any way. The Taelon and I have met."

"Then maybe you can tell us what Nye did to him," Liam said.

"I just know that it's a powerful sedative not native to her home," he replied.

"Why would she give him a sedative that powerful?" Liam asked.

"Because she wants him down until we reach our final destination. If he doesn't know how he got there, there will be nowhere for him to run once the ritual is underway," he answered.

"Why are you here?" Renee asked.

"I was hoping for a chance to bid my friend goodbye, but it appears that is not possible," he said. His hand reached through the virtual glass and dropped something silver. "Tell him it's for luck. From what I've heard about the ritual, he's going to need as much as he can get. He'll know who I am."

Liam tried to stop the man from walking away, but he disappeared down the corridor. Liam picked up the object. It looked like a coin of some sort. It had a symbol he had never seen carved into it, and on the back of it was a flower that looked like a wildly alien orchid. "Thanks, I think."

Da'an was much more aware this time when he awoke. Now, there was no feeling other than fatigue. It felt as if he had slept too long. He had no trouble sitting up, and from the way he dropped Liam's jacket, he wasn't cold anymore.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked him.

"Where are we?" he asked shaking his head.

"I think we're on their ship," Renee answered. "Nye gave you some kind of sedative to keep you down for the whole trip. We're locked in."

"Mmm-hmm," Da'an said mindlessly, wiggling his fingers trying to figure out why they felt lighter than usual.

"A man came by a while back," Liam said. "He told me to give you this. He said you would know him."

Da'an observed the silver coin carefully. "This is a charm."

"He said it's for luck," Renee said. "What does it mean?"

"Nothing," Da'an shrugged. "It's just a charm."

"What does that symbol mean?" Street asked trying to be more specific.

"It is the name of the god of their religion," Da'an replied. "Carrying the mark of their god is to carry his blessing."

"What about that plant on the back?" Street asked.

"You're a curious little person, do you know that?" Da'an asked back. "What is your name?"

"My name? Oh, that's right. We haven't met," Street replied excitedly. "My name's J. Street. My real name's Juliet, but don't call me that. Just call me Street. Everyone else does."

"This is Auger's protégé," Liam explained. "She's been helping us out ever since he disappeared."

Da'an chuckled. "You're the one who likes blue algae and seaweed."

"Oh, so Liam told you about that?" Renee said poking Street in the arm.

"Hey, it's not as nasty as he makes it out to be, and it's healthy," Street defended. "There's more than just algae and seaweed in it. There's lots of healthy stuff. I got a million recipes. But back to the point at hand. You never answered my question."

"That plant is an herb that used to grow on their home planet," Da'an replied. "It is supposed to be what they take for a communion-like ritual that brings them closer to their god. It is also supposed to be a blessing."

"You know this species?" Liam asked.

"You know them too," Da'an said. "They are Shape-Shifters. Nye hired them as mercenaries to bring me to her."

"Shape-Shifters?" Liam asked. "Their planet was destroyed years ago. No one knows a lot about them. No one's ever even seen their true form."

"I know lots about them," Da'an said. "We used to hire them as spies and bounty hunters. That is about all they ever do anymore. This charm is supposed to bring them good fortune. They wear it to battle with the hope that it will allow them to return home alive."

"Why would he give that to you?" Renee asked.

"Because if I fail Nye's ritual, I will die," Da'an replied monotonously.

There was a long period of silence.

"How did you find out that those Taelons were actually Shape-Shifters?" Liam asked trying to stir up something of a conversation.

"One of them came to the Mothership and brought me to Nye," Da'an said solemnly. "I can never go back to my people."

Street was about to inquire why, but Liam shook his head. He and Renee knew what Da'an meant.

Nye and several people in those same blue robes marched slowly up to the cell. All three humans had something to say to her, but she placed her hand in the air before they could speak and dropped the virtual glass shield.

"It relieves me to see you awake, Da'an," Nye told him.

"Where are we?" Da'an asked her.

"That is not important," Nye said. "We have landed on a remote planet where the ritual shall be held. You are not alone in your quest. There were six other Taelons from Earth who agreed to the ritual."

"What happened to them?" Liam asked.

"They are on their way to the temple right now, where my followers are going to escort you," Nye answered. "I apologize for the delay, but every participant in the ritual is given his own group of ministers. Look closely at these Taelons, Da'an, for you will be allowed to see no one else but them. They will take you to your chambers where you shall be isolated for ten days. You will never see the outside, you will never see the other participants, and you are only allowed up to five witnesses."

"What do the witnesses do?" Liam asked.

"They monitor the participant's health with the nurses and the ministers. They are also allowed to provide any words of encouragement they can to the participant. I took it that from your coming to my chambers on the Moonbase that you would be his witnesses, but it is, in the end, Da'an's and only Da'an's decision to allow you to come."

Everyone turned to Da'an, but Da'an did not look back at anyone but Nye.

"Is it your wish for them to accompany you?" Nye asked. "Before you decide, you must remember that they will be isolated for the same ten days. They are allowed to leave the chambers, but they cannot leave the temple. They must also be willing to do all that we ask of them."

Da'an nodded and looked back at them with an inquiring stare. If they agreed to go with him, they could not leave until it was finished. There was no turning back after this.

"They have the freedom to do what they wish," Da'an told Nye. "I cannot make their decision for them. If it is truly their wish to accompany me, then they will follow me to the temple. But you must promise me that whatever happens, you will return them back where they belong with no repercussions."

"You have my promise," Nye said. "Follow me."

The four rose to follow the group.

"Da'an wait," Liam said stopping him in the middle of the hall. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, it's not too late to go back with us," Renee agreed.

"Yes it is," Da'an said calmly. "I have nothing to return to. You do. That is why I will not force you to stay with me."

"You've got us," Liam said. "You can come with us."

"Please do not make this anymore difficult than it already is," Da'an said. "This was my decision." Da'an nodded to them as a final goodbye and left to catch up with the others.

Liam looked back at the girls. "I'm definitely going with him," he told them. "I'm his protector no matter what, and…and he asked me to come. I can't leave him. You two should go back."

"No way," Renee said. "I'm not leaving you or him."

"Renee, your job and your duties are to humanity," Liam said. "We've probably been gone long enough already. You can't just stay with us for ten more days, return, and expect there to be no repercussions. The world is not going to stop turning for us. You have a bigger duty than me, Renee. And Street, you have to help her."

"But it doesn't have to be that way. I can go back alone," Street suggested. "You two are more than enough help for him, and he barely knows me. I can take care of your jobs and your duties, and anything else you guys need. It's what I promised Auger and it's my job to you. I'll take care of everything. I promise. You just bring him back in one piece, okay?"

"Renee, you shouldn't have to come just because of me," Liam argued. "There's no reason for you to—"

"What you don't seem to get, Liam, is that after all we've been through together, I am not leaving you. I cannot do that," Renee said firmly. "This is just as much my decision as it is yours, and my choice is to stay. If anything happens, you can't take care of Da'an against these people alone. And even if I did go back, the only thing I'd be able to do is worry about you."

"Renee, think of your life," Liam pushed. "Do you honestly think that someone in as powerful a position as you can afford to just take off without any problems?"

"Liam, the more we argue about this, the closer they're getting to the temple," Renee said quickly. "You can't afford to argue with me for too long."

Liam sighed. "This is stupid, Renee."

"This is my choice," Renee said hugging Street. "Now say goodbye to our friend and help me catch up with our other one."

She ran to catch up with Da'an.

"It's gonna be okay," Street said. "You two have gotten out of way worse scrambles than this."

"This isn't our scramble to get out of," Liam said. "It's Da'an's, and I don't know if he's strong enough to do it."

"Liam, if you don't have enough confidence in him then maybe you shouldn't go with him," Street said. "You have to believe in him. It's all any of us can do to help him, and I think he's stronger than he looks. In fact, I know he is."

Liam sighed. "You're right."

"Now, I expect all three of you to greet me in ten days," Street said hugging Liam. "Get going. I'll take care of everything."

Liam took one last look at her and ran as fast as he could.

* * *

It gratified Da'an that Liam and Renee had decided to stay with him, but it did not shake the strange feelings that were making him blush. Nye put her hand out to the right. She was signaling for Da'an to walk with her.

You know who I really am, do you not? Nye said in a Taelon dialect foreign to even Liam.

I do, Da'an replied in that same dialect.

Then, you are aware of the reasons why your Synod gave me those looks.

Everyone knows what happened to you.

If you are aware of my reputation, then why did you agree to my religion?

Yours is not a religion. It is a philosophy.

Call it what you wish. You have not answered my question.

You would have taken me even if I did not agree. What does it matter?

The consequences of your decision are dire. I never expected you to follow me so willingly. It intrigues me.

I do not totally trust you, and I know not what your intentions are with me.

Then, I shall ask you again. Why?

Because as long as I continued to follow the Synod and Zo'or, I would always be bound to their shame. I would always share the guilt of their crimes having stood by and done nothing. Those two humans behind me seem convinced that I am better than that. I need to know if that is true.

So, you follow me to what may be certain doom for you because of them?

Da'an hung his head low. I owe this to them, I owe it to my morals and what I stand for, and…I owe it to myself.

The priests do not need the Commonality to punish you.

There are six others undergoing this ritual. What makes me more important to the priests than them?

The priests do not fear them. They fear you. They fear you because they know that despite your falseness within the Synod, Taelons listen to you. Your influence reaches further than you believe, and it is for the same reason that you are popular among humanity. If you can free yourself, you can free them. The priests will be watching you. They have been ever since you went to them at sixteen.

Why me?

Because of what Ma'el told them about you. As long as you are alive, all your loyalty in the world could not convince them that his prophecy would not come into fruition. Your decision to come with me means that Ma'el's prophecy is one step closer to that. The priests will do all they can to prevent that, even if that means killing you.

Da'an blushed. Why are you telling me this?

You must be stronger than the other six. The priests can afford to lose them, not you. They will be taking special part in this ritual. I pity you. I should have warned you before you past the point of no return.

Da'an stopped. Nye stopped as well. She told the others to keep going. Liam and Renee followed, but they walked really slowly to remain as close to Da'an as they could.

"You think that I will not survive this," Da'an told her in firm and plain English. "You believe that you have brought me to my death."

"I am giving you one final chance to turn back," Nye said. "I am doing this because despite my freedom from the Commonality, my past has given me a distinct connection to the priests. They are contacting me. They want me to give you one last chance to return. If you choose to return now, if you ask for me to take you back to Earth, there will be no trial. The priests will compel Zo'or to reinstate you and dismantle all evidence connecting you to the resistance. You can continue to aid humanity with your position. The priests will not hold it against you."

Da'an gave her a glare of mistrust. "Why do you think that the priests care not for my activities with humanity?"

"I think you already know."

"I can only help them so much within the Commonality."

"You must realize the full extent of your decision," Nye urged. "You are about to back on your species forever. After this, there is no return, and you will be facing more than that darkness that you call an Atavus creature. You will be facing all that you originally stood for. You will be facing your entire species. You will be facing the Synod and the priests. If you doubt yourself in anyway, then I urge you to go back. Do not come with me because of humanity or me. No one should force you into this. Your life will be forever altered if you pass or if you fail."

"Whose side are you really on?"

"There are no sides, Da'an. You know this better than anyone. I am trying to help you. I am giving you one last chance—"

"No! No, you're not!" Da'an said sternly. "I know exactly what you are doing. You are trying to relieve yourself of any responsibility for my actions. You are not giving me this chance for me. You are giving me this chance for yourself. If I live, you will bear the burden of knowing that you have branded me a traitor forever. If I die, you will live forever in guilt knowing that you sent me to my death."

Nye saw Liam and Renee staring at them. They were growing worried, and it looked like they were about to come. I am not your enemy. I am trying to take responsibility.

I understand your position in this. I have been through the same thing numerous times, but you do not understand. The moment you came to me, you altered my fate. No matter what anyone offers you, there is not correcting that. You cannot expect this to just go away. You cannot take responsibility for my decisions. You can only take responsibility for your own. Let this be my burden. It is my responsibility. "Try to have some sort of faith in me." Da'an turned to Liam and Renee. "They do."

Nye blushed.

Da'an took her hand. "I would not have come here if I did not have a small bit of faith in myself. I do not _have_ to do this. I _want_ to do this. I am ready to face any consequence that may bear."

I am merely afraid for you because I made the same decision you are making now. This is not an easy life.

I stopped expecting easy thousands of years ago.

I honor your bravery and your virtue.

I honor yours too.

Nye smiled. Come.

Da'an nodded and followed her. Liam and Renee waited for them to catch up.

"What was that about?" Liam asked him.

"Nothing," Da'an replied. "It is not important anymore."

Renee and Liam knew he was protecting them. He did not want them worrying about him anymore than they already were.

"Da'an," Renee called pulling his arm.

"Yes?"

"Don't be afraid to tell us anything. Especially now," Renee said softly. "We can handle it."

The exit of the ship melted away to reveal a planet very much like Earth. Liam took a deep breath as he followed the others. "The air is nice here."

"It smells like mist," Renee said. "There's a lot more oxygen here than on Earth."

"Probably," Nye said. "We are deep inside the Andromeda Galaxy now. It is neutral territory, away from the Taelon-Jaridian War. We are quite safe here."

"Are there civilizations?" Liam asked.

"Pockets of tribes and a few cities," Nye said. "However, this is a mountainous region. There is very little civilization out here, and few ships have the capacity to land."

"You'd think the air would be thinner," Liam said.

"It probably is," Nye said. "You just have not figured that out yet."

Nye told the others to continue to the temple. She asked the three guests to follow her.

They stepped off of the ship and onto the land. The trees were green and lush with branches. However, the trunks of the trees were whiter than the dark brown Renee and Liam had expected. It was as if the trunks had been carved out of stone. The ground was soft and moist. In the distance, Liam could hear the wind blowing against the rocks. As they looked up, Liam could see the white clouds that he was used to back home. They were covering the peak of the mountains, which were white with snow. Those clouds had to be the misty scent Liam and Renee could smell. If not, then it was the snow that capped purplish mountain range.

"All dining and resting facilities are that way," Nye said pointing to a blue Taelon structure at a level below where the ship had landed. "Here is a rest stop we offer for weary travelers. It is also a station for our own ships. It is down there where my followers rest when not undergoing the ritual."

"Is the ritual an annual thing?" Renee asked.

"It takes much energy out of the participants and the ministers, so yes, we like to keep it an annual tradition," Nye said. "We send ships to as many Taelons as we can to recruit newcomers. Sometimes we hire mercenaries for our protection. It depends on where we are going."

"Where is the temple, exactly?" Liam asked.

"On top of the mountain, in the snow," Nye said. "We built it there for both isolation and in apperception of kaar'paaj, the ritual of spiritual renewal."

"Where are all the other ships?" Renee asked.

"There are several landing platforms for rest stops that we have built," Nye explained. "This is just one of a network. You see, the rest stops and the landing platforms act as a web circling the structure down there. That is our home. These rest stops are for our visitors and for us when we decide to travel. They are the only places where we keep the portals that lead to the temple."

"So it's a web on the mountain," Renee surmised. "Interesting. It's almost like a protection too."

"It is protection," Nye agreed. "We place volunteers on these stops all year round. They monitor the weather and warn us of any hostile invaders. However, it is rare to find any enemies here. The trees hide us well, and most people come to rest, not to fight."

"You're like Buddhist monks in the Himalayas," Liam compared.

"I suppose we are."

"How many others are coming?" Da'an asked.

"We will not know until they come," Nye said. "It is no concern of yours however. You will never meet any of them. You see, so few undertake the ritual that we can handle each participant individually. I estimate that only about ten or fifteen will come. However, most of the time we do not even get that many. Not too many Taelons are on a mission to abandon the Commonality. The priests would show more concern if there were."

"Out of the few that come, how many actually succeed?" Renee asked.

"Not many," Nye said. "During our last ritual, only two survived."

Liam and Da'an sighed.

"Follow me," Nye said. "You can rest here for now."

"How long will we stay here?" Liam asked.

"Not long," Nye answered. "When Da'an's ministers and healers are ready, then we will begin, and that does not take long."

Renee turned back to find that Da'an had disappeared into the trees. While Liam asked more questions, Renee ran to find him. She raced up the white wooden stairs to the rest stop. There was a white platform where Renee could look out into the woods. She found a clearing and gathered that he would have gone there. She ran down the mountain to find him.

"Why are some of the rocks blue and purple?" Liam asked Nye watching Renee bolt down the mountain.

"Most of the rocks contain stones inside them that the natives use for currency," Nye explained. "The purple and blue you see on patches of the mountains are probably where the people mined the rock to get to the stones. Other times the stones crystallize themselves provide the purple you see. And of course, the annual erosion of the mountains exposes the stones as well. Most of the stones here are purple. Blue is a valued color on this world."

Not too far from the landing platform, there was a tiny creek. The sand in the creek was brown and blue. Da'an was sitting on a gray rock that hung over the creek. Renee slowly walked up to him and sat next to him.

"Too much scenery for you?" Renee asked humorously.

"No," Da'an said. "It is beautiful here."

"Just getting your bearings then?"

"I think so."

Renee took off her shoes and socks and put her feet in the water. It was very cold, but it was still pleasant.

Da'an pulled his legs closer into his chest. All he did was look at the rushing water.

"What's wrong?" Renee asked finally.

"How deep do you think that water is?" Da'an asked her.

"It couldn't be deeper than about a foot or two," Renee said. "Why?"

"Do you like water?" Da'an asked her.

"Yeah," Renee said. "It's relaxing."

Da'an sighed. "I only have one memory of myself as a child. I only remember it because I had to."

"Why?"

"When I was about two or three, my parent killed me," Da'an said.

Renee felt her heart jump out of her chest.

"Um…I…never knew that," Renee said slowly.

"I was barely taller than this rock," Da'an said. "He took me out early as I rested. I awoke just moments before he placed me in the water. I started screaming. That was when he pushed me under. For no reason at all, he held me under the current. When I tried to push myself out, he held me down."

"How did you get out?" Renee asked.

"…I didn't," Da'an replied. "I drowned."

Renee didn't know what to say except, "But if you drowned…"

"I don't know," Da'an replied. "To this day, I do not know how I survived. In my memories, I did not survive. I died. Sometimes, when I look at the water, I have trouble finding my reflection. It makes me think that I am already dead."

"I…don't know what to say," Renee said. "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to be," Da'an said. "You see, when I look at the water, it actually comforts me. I like to watch the water whenever I am afraid to die. In my memories, I died once, and yet I am still here speaking to you right now. It makes me think that dying cannot be as painful or as frightening as fiction determines it to be. How can I die when I am already dead?"

"But you're not dead," Renee said. "You're here talking to me right now. When I take your hand, I feel something. You feel warm when you're calm and happy. That's not someone who's dead."

"Water is the only substance that makes us mortal," Da'an said slowly. "Something about it makes us able to feel it. I can never tell the temperature unless I am in the water. I can never feel cold unless I am in the water. It is the only thing that can penetrate us."

"But it's also very calm and beautiful," Renee said. "Nothing's as soft on the body as water. I never feel sick when I'm in water. Sometimes it's nice to just float. It's always calming."

Da'an nodded.

"What did Nye say to you?" Renee asked. "Is that why you're here?"

"Yes," Da'an replied. "Nye thinks that I will not survive, and a part of me agrees with her."

"You can't let anyone tell you that," Renee said. "If you let people like that get to you, you'll never come out on top."

Neither said anything. They were both thinking.

"Hey, wouldn't it be nice if you found out the ritual wasn't as bad as they make it out to be?" Renee joked. "What if all they do is ask you to walk across a balance beam, or they just say a prayer and dunk you in the water for a second?"

"That would be a tad anticlimactic," Da'a said.

"But it'd be nice," Renee chuckled.

They were laughing softly.

"My mom died in a car accident…right in front of me," Renee said suddenly.

Da'an stared at her. "I'm sorry."

"It was Christmas," Renee said. "I was three. My brother was just a little baby. He was only a few months old."

"You have a brother?" Da'an asked. "I never knew that."

"Yeah," Renee said. "We were spoiled rich kids, and every Christmas, we'd fly down to Galveston for the winter. I know it sounds weird, but my dad was born in Texas. He was used to Christmas without snow, so we had to go down to my grandparents' house on the coast, where there wasn't snow. I was in this dress that I had just got. It was brand new. So was the drum set my mom had bought me for Christmas. My last present my mother ever brought me, and I was put under the impression that it was from Santa. That speaks volumes."

Da'an nodded.

"Well, every Christmas my mom's parents would fly down to Galveston and celebrate the holidays with us," Renee said. "Mom had left for just a second to pick them up from the airport. She was just a few feet from the driveway. She was pulling in. I rushed outside with my dress and the drum set to show it off to grandma and grandpa. That's when this guy came speeding down the neighborhood out of nowhere. My mom saw him too late. Maybe if she would have, she wouldn't have pulled in when she did. But she didn't see him, and he smashed into her. My mom, my grandma and my grandpa died right in front of me when I was only three years old. I spent Christmas at the hospital and New Year's in a funeral home."

Da'an blushed blue.

"I'd probably associate my mother's early demise for my inability to connect with people," Renee said. "I have an intimate conversation with someone and in the back of my mind, I always wonder if this will be the last conversation we have. Will this be my last moment to get to know someone? That scares me sometimes, and I pull myself away. I'd rather not say anything to you than have what I say to you be my famous last words."

"Then, what does this mean to you?" Da'an asked.

"It means to me that you're worth connecting to," Renee said, "and that I don't want these to be my famous last words to you. I want to get to know you, and I want you to get to know me. I guess the best words of encouragement are don't die. We've still got a lot to do together."

"Good advice," Da'an said humorously.

Renee chuckled and splashed water in Da'an's face.

"It's cold," Da'an commented.

Renee started laughing. Then, out of nowhere, Renee felt a foot push her in. She rushed out of the water soaked and wet. "You bastard!" she joked. "This shirt is dry clean only."

"Dry clean only?" Da'an taunted. "You are telling me that you go into battle in a dry clean only shirt? You are supposed to be a freedom fighter defending your race, not a Gloria Vanderbelt model."

"So what's your point?" Renee asked sloshing her way out of the water.

"Try Hilfiger. He's mostly cotton and denim," Da'an said.

"And where am I gonna get the ass for his pants?" Renee asked.

Da'an examined it a little more carefully. "True," he agreed.

Renee looked offended.

"I was joking."

"I know," Renee said.

"Renee! Da'an!"

"That would be Liam," Renee said. "So do you wanna explain this to him? Or should I?"

Da'an held out his hand. Rock, paper, scissors. Renee got a rock. Da'an got paper.

"I don't like you," Renee said sinisterly.

"Yes, you do," Da'an retorted.

"I know," Renee said lowering her head like a sad puppy. She even added a little sniffle.

"Renee?" Liam asked in shock when he saw them. "Nice time for a swim, huh?"

"Shut up," Renee shot back. "He started it."

Da'an put his hands up innocently. "I was just sitting here and enjoying the water. If my foot should suddenly find its way to her back and give a little push, I cannot control that."

Liam found himself laughing with them.

When Nye found them laughing together, it was with a heavy heart that she told them it was time to go. After all, this would be the last joyful moment they would ever have together. Who was she to end it?

* * *

Nye led the three into the rest stop area where the ministers were waiting. Da'an was taken by one of them into a blue room and given a white robe to change into. Liam and Renee were given brown robes to wear.

There were four ministers and four nurses. Liam had finally found a way to tell the difference between the two. The nurses all had markings on their faces and hands that were shaped vertically, and they always traveled to the left of Nye. The ministers had markings that were shaped horizontally, and they always traveled to the right of Nye.

The portal to the temple only went to the temple and nowhere else. There was no conversation as the group was whisked away. After the brilliant flash was gone, Liam and Renee were given sight to a giant series of white columns. The floor was jet black. When they walked on it, they felt like they were walking on glass. To the left, right and center of them where long hallways that led to different chambers. Behind them was the only door leading to the outside. The group was led down the center hallway and into the room at the very end.

The structure of the room was mostly stone with several Taelon devices decorating the walls. At the end, there was a small bath filled with warm water. There was a small brown bed to the right. The mattress was so thin that it might as well have not been there at all. The pillow was no thicker than about two inches, but when Liam touched it, he found it very comfortable. The only covering was a thin brown blanket. Above the bed was what looked to Liam like an energy shower.

"You are free to move about the temple for the duration of your stay," Nye told Liam and Renee, "but you may not leave it until the ritual is over."

"Yeah, not to sound inconsiderate of the seriousness of this situation but…" Liam whispered the rest of it to Nye so that no one else could hear.

"The what?" Nye asked.

Liam explained the situation to her as quietly as he could. Nye nodded as if she understood perfectly and whispered something back to him.

"Thank you," Liam nodded.

"What did you ask her?" Renee asked him.

"I'll tell you when you need to do it," Liam replied.

"Ohhhhh," Renee nodded. "I get ya."

The ministers told Da'an to sit at the center of the room, where a white sun had been drawn. Da'an was to sit within the circle. The ministers took their places on the spikes that pointed outward. The nurses sat in front of each minister right on the line of the circle. Liam and Renee were asked to stand at the doorway. Nye nodded to the group. "I will take my leave now."

"Wait," Renee said quickly. "You're not going to be here?"

"I do not have to be here," Nye said. "The ministers know their place. They will conduct the ritual. I will return to observe when I can."

One of the ministers waved his hand to reveal what looked to be the outside. The sun had set by now, and twilight was upon them. He took a black chalice and dipped it into the pool of water in the tub. Then he took out a strange blue powder and poured it in. He approached Da'an and sat in front of him. The other ministers brought three bowls to him and sat them in front of him. Then they returned to their places.

For a long time, neither said anything to each other. The rest of the ministers began chanting in that strange dialect of Taelon.

This is a dangerous path you are about to take, the minister finally told Da'an. In order to take it, your mind must be clear of all other thoughts. He blew some of the blue powder at Da'an.

Da'an coughed and shook his head to rid himself of the discomfort.

In order to take the path, you must be cleansed, the minister said.

He put his hand in the bowl at the center, which contained black paint. He painted a symbol on Da'an's forehead and drew two lines across his cheeks. In order to take this path, you must free yourself from all ill will.

He placed his hand in the bowl to the left, which contained a clear gelatinous substance. He rubbed it all over Da'an's neck and his hands. In order to take the path, you must have strength and tolerance.

He dipped his hand in the last bowl, which contained a white powder. It stuck to his hands well because of the remnants of the gel, and he placed his hands on the sides of Da'an's head. The powder was warm to Da'an at first, but as his skin absorbed it, it began to burn terribly. The minister removed his hands, which left two glowing white marks in their wake. The minister then dipped his hands in the chalice and washed the remnants of the three substances into the water.

The burning had spread all over Da'an's head and down his back, and he had no clue what it was he was supposed to be doing. All he could do was sit there and take the pain. He tried to show no fear, but with each breath, the burning worsened. The burning around his neck began to stifle his breathing. Had the minister put a mirror in front of him, he would have seen his whole body glowing white. Da'an felt like his whole body had caught aflame, but he tried not to think of it. When he opened his eyes, he saw his hands begin to melt and disfigure. It reminded him of when he had devolved into the Atavus creature. He forced himself to close his eyes and not think of what he had just seen. However, nothing he did could stop that terrible burning and Da'an began to grow dizzy. He was afraid that he would collapse, and he tried to maintain his focus. Suddenly, he thought about the water—that little creek he had seen Renee dipping her feet in. When he thought of the water, the pain began to subside, and he felt his body cool. Cool. Just like the water in that creek. It was very cool and soothing. Da'an felt his breathing slowing down and his head no longer throbbed. The glowing on his body subsided, and when he opened his eyes, his hands were completely normal.

The minister took his hands forcing Da'an to look at him. You are ready now. He placed the chalice in Da'an's hands. The rest of the ministers bowed to Da'an, and the nurses put their hands together in prayer. The minister in front of Da'an turned to the humans. In the event that you fail, it is the responsibility of the witnesses to handle your passing on to the next level of existence and to pass on the message of your demise to your loved ones. Are they strong enough to handle it?

Da'an nodded.

In the event that you fail, the Priestess Nye purify your soul to prevent any ill will brought on to you by the Commonality. Do you accept her blessings?

Yes.

Then, take the chalice and take your first step on the path towards freedom, the minister said bringing the chalice to his lips. "You must drink from the chalice now."

Da'an looked at the water. The substances the minister had washed into them turned the water from blue into a nasty dark brown color. After his experience with these chemicals on his skin, Da'an had no desire to put more of it into his body. But Da'an thought again about the water in that creek, and he swallowed the water. Immediately, it began to burn him. The pain had been bad enough on the outside, but inside it was ten times worse. Da'an had trouble swallowing the rest of the water in the chalice. His hands began to shake, and he dropped the chalice. A terrible cramping feeling in his torso caused Da'an to hunch over. Nausea began to settle as he tried to fight his body's instinctual desire to purge himself of the water he had just drunk. It was so painful that Da'an couldn't breathe, and his eyes began to ache as his vision failed. Breathing only brought on more agony, and the heart that circulated energy throughout Da'an's body felt like it would explode. Da'an felt like he was burning from the inside out like a Jaridian. Strange flashes and voices began to bombard his mind. All Da'an could see now were sickly colors. All sounds were ghostly echoes. Even the air blowing through the room was now just a voice echoing indistinct words to him. He thought he heard someone calling his name, but before Da'an could respond, he collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

Day One

Immediately after his collapse, the ministers carried Da'an into the cot and the nurses surrounded him. Liam and Renee rushed over to monitor their friend. The nurses checked Da'an's vital signs and pronounced him to be in a deep trance as they had expected.

"So what happens now?" Liam asked one of the nurses.

"It is all in his hands now," she responded. "Is there anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?"

"No," Liam answered.

"Not right now," Renee answered.

All but one nurse and one minister left the room. Renee and Liam sat cross-legged at Da'an's bedside. The Taelon was extremely pale with the exception of four red marks on his face and neck. It was difficult to believe that he was even alive. When Liam took his hand, it was cold and stiff. Liam could barely feel anything flowing.

"He is in a deep trance," the nurse explained.

"His journey has begun," the minister added.

"What's going to happen to him?" Renee asked.

"I do not know," replied the minister. "For each subject, the journey is different. However, we have never had a subject under such close surveillance by the priests."

"It is why most of us believe he will not survive," the nurse said, "…but then, you probably already figured that out."

Renee felt her stomach churn. When she saw the others turn swiftly in her direction, she realized just how loud it had been.

"Perhaps you require nourishment," the nurse said. "I will have the nurses outside fetch some food for you."

As the nurse rose to speak with her counterparts outside, the minister reverted his focus back to Da'an. However, Liam's focus never left Renee's face. He knew the real reason why her stomach had churned, and he feared looking away from her. Somehow just staring at her beautiful features made the situation seem less serious, despite how tense were those hazel eyes that looked back on him with such worry. She wanted resolution. She wanted to tell him that this was all a bad dream, and that all three of them would wake up as if it never happened. He wanted to be the one to give her what she wanted. God, he did! But this was not in his hands anymore, and whom it all depended on was lying in between them like a corpse with no faith in his perseverance save that of the two people who should not have even been there in the first place. And worst of all, as time dragged on, little by little their faith would expire.

* * *

When Da'an collapsed, he did not hit the floor. When his body felt the impact of the cold hard surface, the rest of him continued to fall. There was no sound as he fell, and there was no air. He was free falling through a colorless vacuum his own mind had somehow created. He could not feel himself slowing, but the world around him seemed to slow. He closed his eyes and forced himself upright in the direction he believed would make him so. When he did, the rushing colorless columns of nothing ceased their rapid movement. He knew now that he was still. As he gazed downward at his feet, he saw a large dark violet sphere below him. It was home as it used to be. When he put one foot forward, the image of his home distorted like ripples rushing outward on a pond. As he walked, those ripples continued to rush outward from his feet, distorting that image.

Curiosity set in, and he leaned downward to touch the surface. When he did, tiny waves rushed outward for each finger that glided across the surface. It was ice cold, but it felt like melted crystal. He suddenly wondered if this was what being God felt like.

You insist upon viewing our planet as it once was.

I draw strength by experiencing this beauty.

I prefer the truth.

The image suddenly melted into the colorless wasteland that was his planet after its destruction.

I draw my strength by always remembering how the Jaridians destroyed our home world.

Suddenly, Da'an did not feel so well. Why was he here?

"Such an ill and meaningless fate," a very distorted voice whispered.

Da'an's whole body shifted in the direction he thought he had heard the voice.

"How many were left to die?" another equally distorted voice asked.

The image of the planet suddenly rushed upward, consuming him like an erupting geyser. Little droplets of the destroyed image reformatted into a strange chamber with a hard black floor, and dark blue walls. Seven figures circled Da'an, and one appeared right in front of him.

They had large, thick robes covering every inch of their body save their hands and their faces. However, their hands were covered with black armored gloves, and over their faces were dark black masks made of material as hard as porcelain.

Da'an did not know whether to bow of to stand firm. Should he free himself, he would no longer have to serve these people, but he was not free yet.

"You do not bow to show respect," the one facing him said. "Such an inaction would be viewed as blasphemy by your peers."

"I am thinking," Da'an replied.

"You think too much," the figure said, "and that is your weakness. You think so much that you fail to see the answer lying right in front of you."

"Answers come and go everyday," Da'an said. "I have no need of answers save those to my questions."

"Then, what answer do you seek now?" asked the figure. "After all, one of our duties is to provide guidance to lost ones like you."

"In the many centuries that I have been alive, I have learned that guidance and answers are not often the same things."

"In the many centuries that _I_ have been alive, I have learned that guidance is often much more preferable than answers."

"Why have you been spying on me all my life?" Da'an asked.

The figure walked backward and then around Da'an.

"Your subtle diplomatic ways have no power over us, child," the figure said. "Do not ask meaningless questions in your futile attempt to understand us. You really want to know, dear child, why we have been controlling you all your life."

"Why am I so important to you? Why me before anyone else?"

"It was never about you. It was about that abomination of a brother of yours."

"A brother?"

"Apparently, we are slipping in our control. Somehow, you have regained pieces of your repressed memories—memories that you were never supposed to have."

"Tell us, when did you first experience these repressed memories?" another one asked.

"Of what concern is it to you?" Da'an asked back.

"Your family has been a constant thorn in our side, child," the figure said firmly. "Nothing would satisfy me more than seeing you die in this irreverent and frivolous pursuit of what you laughingly call freedom. However, you are worth more to me alive than you ever could have been dead. You know this, do you not?"

Da'an said nothing.

"We brought you here, child. The heretics you allowed to drug you have put you in a trance. This trance is supposed to bring you closer to your spirit so that you may separate yourself from the beast within."

"You have taken control of this ritual why?"

"In order to show you where you truly belong. We were warned by the dissention of our former counterpart that you would try this. It was only a matter of time."

"Nye wants me to be free. She thinks I was meant to be."

"Nye is a fool that was manipulated by the ravings of a false prophet."

"A prophet who made predictions about me."

"He knew this would happen. We knew he would be correct."

"If the prophet is correct in his premonitions, then he is not false."

"True, but if we can alter your future, then he will be false."

"Why do you seek to alter my future?"

"Because you were not meant to follow him. If you were, you would have done so when he practically begged you to. Instead, you chose to remain behind and serve us."

Da'an's heart began to increase its pace. "You are referring to Ma'el."

"Correct."

"Then, Ma'el is my twin."

"Correct."

"Why did you do this to me?"

"You view the suppression of your memories as a wrongdoing. It is not malevolence. It is protection. We were hiding you from your true self. You are some kind, compassionate specter beloved by all because we made you that way. Your true self is full of fire and contempt. Years after you and Ma'el were born, your parent came to us in a frenzy. He told us about these two-year-old children who were abominations threatening all that was good and decent. Oh, he feared the indistinct ramblings of your twin, but the one he truly feared was you."

I know something about the twins… 

Suddenly, Da'an felt a shiver run down his back. His breathing increased and his legs turned into lead. The figure caught him as he fell. The walls in front of him melted into an image of a Taelon six feet away from him. He was on his knees. Da'an could see the fear.

"Tell us, Bel'lie, what has brought you to us under such distress?" the figure's voice echoed from nowhere.

"I know something about the twins," he panted.

"Ah yes, the new twins. Quite an anomaly, not so?"

"Not an anomaly, your grace, an abomination!"

"What are you referring to?"

"The one I named Ma'el, he is not like normal children," Bel'lie panted. "Neither of them is. In the short two years of their lives, I have not once seen them apart. They move as if they are one. I sometimes cannot tell which is which. Their expressions are so similar that it is terrifying." He shuddered. "Great gods, the way they stare at me! They send shivers down my back. Shivers! On a Taelon! It is sickening!"

"Calm yourself, Bel'lie," another voice said. "What else?"

"One—Ma'el—sees things before they happen. He awakens from his slumber in the middle of the night screaming and ranting about something he has dreamt. I try to calm him, but soon he curls up into a ball and starts mumbling things I cannot understand."

"Give us an example."

Bel'lie shrunk backwards. He was greatly afraid of what he was about to say. "Great high priest, you…recall the sudden death of my older sibling Cal'al."

"We do. Such a terrible accident. He slipped and fell to his death trying to complete the Kaar'paaj ritual."

"Ma'el predicted his death. He awoke screaming and clawing as if…as if he was trying to grab on to something. Then he fell flat on his back and remained stiff. When I calmed him down, he told me that someone I knew was going to die. The mist was so thick, he said, that he would not see the edge of the cliff before it was too late. He would fall, hitting rock after rock and clawing to try and stop himself. He said, he would die before even hitting the ground."

"I understand why that would cause such a shock," the high priest replied. "However, I sense that your true fear is directed towards something else."

"Yes, the other one…the one named Da'an…" Bel'lie shuddered in disgust and terror. "The other is like a ghost. He never speaks. Ma'el does all the speaking for him. You see, Ma'el can also read minds. He often finishes my own sentences before me. He tells me what Da'an is thinking. That child is evil. He is pure evil. When he stares at me, I feel the coldness. It is as if he knows something about me and is waiting to exploit it. Every time I get near him, he gives me that blank emotionless stare. Whenever I try separating him from Ma'el, he screams like a demon. It is the only sound I have heard from him. My hand starts to burn, and I must release him from my grip."

There was a long silence as the priests absorbed this bizarre knowledge. Then, they all nodded in unison for Bel'lie to continue.

"Sometimes I see objects floating by themselves. I know that it is coming from Da'an. I know it! Once Tay'jay tried to separate Da'an from Ma'el. Again, with that awful scream! Then, objects began to move by themselves, and the entire room shook. Tay'jay was hurled across the room. But that stupid boy! All he did was rush back to them in excitement. Humph! He called it fun. He asked for them to do it again."

"Well, Bel'lie I see no reason for you to fear that," the high priest said. "After all, you do not have to be special for objects to float by themselves. All of us can do it."

"But sire…the Commonality suppresses it…I thought."

"Their abilities reflect their emotions," one of the priests said.

"The emotions release the beast," another added. "Once the beast is unleashed, you can never return to the Commonality."

"Some children are born more mentally aware than others," the high priest recited. "This must be the case for your children."

The priests all looked to the high priest and deliberated quietly.

"A decision has been made," the high priest said. "They must be brought here."

"What?" asked Bel'lie, unsure of what he had just heard.

"These children must be taken to the priests," another priest explained.

"Exactly. Their gifts must be suppressed by the Commonality," the high priest explained to Bel'lie. "If not, they risk total devolution."

"Not my children!" Bel'lie cried. "I will not have my children turned into horrible monsters!"

"Calm yourself, Bel'lie," said the high priest. "The children pose no threat to you as of this moment. Let them handle themselves."

"Are you blind? Do you not see the urgency of this situation? Those two are a pair of demons! They must be controlled!"

"You dare so unleash your outbursts upon me?"

Bel'lie kneeled. "My apologies sire. It is not my place to question the wisdom of the priests."

"Precisely. We will not risk fully joining two children to the Commonality so early in their lives. The sudden onset could drive them mad, and then we could never save them. As much as you appear opposed to it, the children must wait until they have spurted into full adults, which will not be until their sixteenth years, as it is with all Taelons."

"What must I do until then? I cannot bear being near these children!"

"Bel'lie, you are their parent. It is your duty to bear them, discipline them, and meld them into whatever the caste minister says they should be. If you cannot handle that, then perhaps you should give the children to their secondary parent."

"Their secondary parent is dead! As Ja'lan birthed them…"

"I am referring to Tay'jay's parent, you fool."

"That harlot! Tam'bi is not even worthy of our social class, much less any Amo'qui child."

"Then, why did you give Tay'jay to Tam'bi?"

"Because Tay'jay is a mistake, and he knows it!"

"Bel'lie! Do not bring your infidelity in this sacred house as excuse to deny us of our judgment! We know what is best for all of our children. Children belong more to the Commonality than they do even to their own parents. By our holy law, you must follow our word, and our word is to take care of these children or give them to someone who will. Am I unclear?"

"No, sire. You are clear. Thank you."

The image faded black. Suddenly, Da'an began to think of water. "That was just before he drowned me."

"Fourteen days before to be precise," the high priest said placing his armored hand over Da'an's shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because whenever he looked into your eyes, he saw pure evil, and because he continued to see it until the day he died."

"But I am not evil," Da'an said shaking his head.

"Oh, no?" the high priest asked. "I think you will find that your actions throughout your life speak otherwise."

"You stole my life," Da'an said firmly turning to face that black mask.

"This mission to free yourself from the Commonality is useless, Da'an," the high priest said. "We have protected you for over two-thousand years, and you repay us by following a group of heretics."

"My mind is not yours to control."

"You fail to realize that you need us to control you. You need the priests to protect the Commonality and keep blasphemers in check—blasphemers who manipulate such loyal subjects like you. You were once our most loyal servant. You were the best the Commonality could offer. You were never afraid to do what was best for it. You belong to us, Da'an. You belong with us. There is nothing for you out there because you and we have the same mission. You and we are the same."

"I am nothing like you! You take people and play with their minds like toys. You stole my memories. My family—my whole family—is gone because of you!"

"Really, Da'an? Do you really believe that you have not done the same thing to others? Are you so blind to your own past?"

"Leave me! Stay away from me!"

"Leave you?" the high priest laughed. "We are the priests, Da'an. As long as you are a part of the Commonality, you will never run from us. It is far too late for you to develop a conscience, Da'an, and you know this."

"But it is not too late for me to leave," Da'an said walking away from them.

"You cannot leave, Da'an! Not if you want to survive!" the high priest called as Da'an moved further and further away.

Da'an said nothing in response to them. There was no need. He owed nothing to them.

"You have chosen your fate, Da'an. We leave you to the beast."

A sharp pain stabbed its way into Da'an's abdomen. It took all of his endurance to keep himself from hitting the ground hard. The pain escalated and made its way to Da'an's forehead. Blushing only made it burn, and any attempt to move only added more fuel to the fire. Strange primitive sounds left Da'an's throat. Da'an could feel his own skin tearing and melting into the Atavus beast. For every follicle of skin that tore and reshaped itself, a sharp pain was not too far behind. This must have been what an animal being skinned alive felt like. Da'an's eyes turned blood red, and sharp fangs and talons replaced his teeth and nails. When he tried to cry, the terrible melding of a lion's roar and a baboon's screech left his mouth. The transformation was even more violent and painful than it had been the first time. As he continued to battle against the beast within him, he realized that the priests had intentionally made it that way.


	3. Chapter 3

Day Two

The mere minutes in Da'an's mind were hours to the rest of the world. A day had already crawled by, and Renee was feeling hesitant towards returning to the room. In the middle of the night, Da'an's body had begun to devolve in a violent metamorphosis that had left a large scratch across Liam's right cheek. However, she knew that she had to be strong, so she forced herself inside. The sheets had been torn, so the new nurse had brought in a new blanket. Liam was already inside with that gaping cut across his cheek. The stiffness that had made Da'an appear as a corpse had left. He was not awake, but he appeared to be aware of his surroundings. Whenever light was shined on him, he reacted to it. When someone took his hand, he squeezed, and certain sounds produced a reaction.

Renee sat next to Liam, who had his hand stuck under the energy shower that was cleansing Da'an.

"What are you doing?" Renee asked him.

"Nothing," Liam said. "These can be really soothing sometimes. I just thought I could use some relaxation after last night."

"Is that gonna scar?" Renee asked.

"Probably not," Liam replied. "Mem'na, the nurse, she's gonna give me something that should keep it from scarring."

"He seems better. He's not as pale as he was before."

"Yeah. He's more responsive, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can hear us. His reactions could just be involuntary reflexes."

A nurse walked into the room with a tray full of food. "You looked like you could use some sustenance."

The two humans nodded and ate the strange fruits.

"You know, if this is just one day," Renee thought aloud, "what are the other days gonna be like?"

Nobody answered her as the energy shower disappeared. Da'an's eyes began fluttering as he tried to awaken. The minister revealed a round Taelon vial containing a black powdery substance. He took Da'an's hand and sprinkled the powder on to his palm. Then, he took more of the black powder and sprinkled it over Da'an's other palm. When Da'an absorbed it, his body blushed frantically until his façade completely disappeared. When Liam and Renee tried to touch him, their hands went right though his body.

The nurse Mem'na and the minister began chanting.

"What's happening now?" Renee asked.

"He has returned to the Commonality," the minister explained.

"What was that you just gave him?" Liam asked trying to hide the adrenaline that was contributing to his rising panic.

"This substance puts him in a trance that gives the illusion of death," the minister explained.

"He thinks he's dead?" Renee asked.

"You were not told the process of the ritual?" the minister asked them.

"Just the basics," Liam said.

"Priestess Nye's doctrine states that the only time a Taelon is ever allowed to leave the Commonality is upon his death," the minister said. "The Taelon's essence departs from the body and, for a single celestial moment, is granted freedom. After the soul is unleashed, the body disintegrates. The priestess's belief is that if a subject is put under a powerful force of persuasion both the subject and the Commonality will believe that the subject has truly departed. After the subject has departed from the body, an entourage of images, memories, and fantasies bombards the soul putting it through its own mental trial. You call it a near death experience. Our substances put the subject in these near death experiences. Once that happens, we must also prevent the body from degrading. We use special chemicals to keep the Taelon's body in this state that, to you humans, appears to be rigor mortis."

"The challenge is the return," the nurse explained. "A number of problems and outcomes occur. Sometimes the subject returns still connected to the Commonality. Sometimes, as what occurred last night, the form regresses, and we must force the subject to return to the Commonality to try again. However, the most common outcome is that the soul simply does not return to the body. It accepts that it has died and…does so. My prediction is that out of the six who have chosen to undergo the ritual, only one to none will survive."

"That is why so few believe that this subject has any chance of survival," the minister concluded. "We have enough trouble retrieving our subjects without the priests' interference. We have never had a subject undergo the ritual under such close observation by the priests. They will do all they can to keep the subject in its own prison."

"Then what you're saying is that there's nothing you can do for Da'an, save keeping his body preserved and drugging him," Renee said. "As long as Da'an's in this near death state, he's completely on his own."

"Now, you understand," the minister said gravely.

* * *

Da'an could feel the priests gathering around him as he recovered from his near regression. They had saved him from devolution, but they had also made it happen. Da'an had not disconnected himself. They had, and they had done so in a violent and penetrating manner all in the name of proving a point—a point they were about to make once Da'an's strength returned.

"Poor child," the high priest said with false tenderness.

"Poor lost soul," another priest said in that same distorted voice. Da'an was having trouble distinguishing one from the other now.

A hard hand gently lifted Da'an to his feet and supported him as he tried to regain the use of his legs.

"Do you now understand?" the high priest asked.

"I understand…that you can control every Taelon's link to the Commonality," Da'an panted. Slowly his strength returned and he was able to release himself. "You can control many things."

"The beast that your child has so graciously dubbed the Atavus for us is all there is for you away from the Commonality," a priest said. "You know this. Why do you seek to defy it?"

"Because others have done so," Da'an said.

"Only because we let them," the high priest retorted.

"Then, why will you not let me leave? You still have not told me why I am so valuable to you."

"We let the Taelons, who depart from our brotherhood, realize the inescapable loneliness the universe out there offers on their own. Once they realize their mistake, they either go flocking to Nye in a vain attempt at believing in the nobility of their actions, or they come crying back to us, begging us to let them rejoin."

"What is so ignoble about their actions?" Da'an asked. "What is so wrong with believing in something other than this religion you have created?"

"Think about it Da'an," the high priest said. "What makes Nye's religion any more different than ours? We both demand something of our followers. We both isolate our followers from the outsiders at our discretion. We both provide lost souls with a vain illusion of hope and reward. Your view on our religion is that it puts its followers in a cell and then uses false persuasion and mind control to hide the follower from its own prison. What you fail to realize, Da'an, is that all religions are cells. No matter what religion you choose, you will always belong in a mental prison."

"I do not believe that. I believe that religion can be a vessel for hope. However, there is little room for hope if the follower must entrust his own fate to his leaders, and there is even less if the leaders, themselves, are corrupt."

"Humanity and Taelons are not so unalike," the high priest argued diplomatically. "Ask yourself, Da'an, where do you go after you die?"

"To the next level of existence."

"And what awaits you there? An eternity of bliss and paradise in recognition of all your noble deeds, or a tomb of eternal suffering as a reckoning for all your sins?"

"I will not know until I truly die."

"Exactly!" the high priest said as if his student had made a breakthrough. "Nobody knows. Not even we know what awaits us. However our _hope_ is that we will be rewarded for being good people with an eternity of joy, peace, and bliss. And our _fear_ is that we will be punished for our terrible sins with an eternity of suffering, reckoning, and pain. The next question we have to ask ourselves is what do we have to do to earn the paradise."

"Thus we turn to religion for guidance," Da'an surmised.

"Yes. Religion gives us all a set of instructions—a map of how we must live our lives in order to receive paradise or punishment. It tells us exactly where we go and what we have to do to get there. What complicates things is the fact that no being is perfect. We all believe that we are sinners in some form and therefore need some kind of method to provide forgiveness and safe passage to eternal bliss. Thus we turn to any religious leader who will listen. The Taelons turn to the priests and the Commonality. Humans turn to ministers, monks, preachers, pastors, rabbis, and others who can purify them. However, you cannot receive this type of purification for nothing. Something of you must be demanded, whether it is money, worship, servitude or simply a pledge. We ask of the Taelons servitude and eternal loyalty."

"Loyalty by forcing them to live in a mental prison," Da'an said back.

"Not a prison. Protection, Da'an. We provide this Commonality for protection. We keep you in here to keep the impure out. However, once you leave, you no longer have us to protect you. You must protect yourself, you must think for yourself, and fend for yourself—something that no mortal being is fully capable of doing forever. Loneliness and doubt set in. As you live on your own and make mistakes, you start to dwell more upon your flaws. Fear sets in. You fear that eternal suffering awaits you for all you have done wrong and you long for some way to cleanse yourself of the stench of sin and imperfection. So you turn to religion. If not ours, then someone else's. The point? The point is that all mortal beings have an instinctual fear of death and what awaits afterward, and they are willing to give up anything whatever religion they choose demands of them to believe that what awaits them will be good. In that form, no being is truly free to think for himself. No being makes his own choices so long as he has religion to think for him. If you abandon us, Da'an, you will suffer just like everyone else who departs from the Commonality. The difference between you and others who depart, however, is that there will be nothing for you to return to should you decide to do so. _That_ is why we are here Da'an. That is why we choose you over the others."

Fear and doubt began to settle in Da'an's mind. In a sick and twisted view of religion, they had managed to instill doubt. Da'an, himself, was hardly a saint. He still had much to answer for. Da'an began to reflect on every ill deed he had done and began to wonder whom to blame. Should he blame himself, the Commonality, or the priests? Was the possibility that he would sin again still there for him even after he left the Commonality? Was Nye's alternative truly just another prison?

"You are thinking of everything you have done," a priest said subtly. "You are thinking of all your sins, of the lives you have ruined. You believe punishment awaits you for this."

"No," Da'an said shaking his head rapidly. "I…I do not believe you. This is one of your tricks to persuade me to stay."

"You believe that every sin of yours is a trick?" the high priest said. "Because once you leave us, you will have to deal with those sins on your own, and I doubt you have the mental and spiritual certainty to maintain belief in yourself and what you call free thinking."

Panic had stricken Da'an. Fear of loneliness had settled in. Could he atone if he left the Commonality? Could he even atone at all?

"I don't need you to protect me," Da'an shuddered.

"Don't you? Can you truly protect yourself, Da'an?" another priest asked.

"Stop it," Da'an said trying to hide the fear.

"Is all you believe in of your own accord, or is it what we have instilled you to believe?" another priest asked. It felt to Da'an like they were all speaking to him at once in a unified booming voice that was not theirs but rather the voice of God. "If so, what will you do once you have abandoned all that?"

"Silence! You are not gods! None of you are!"

ARE YOU FIT TO FORGIVE YOURSELF? HOW CAN I FORGIVE YOU IF YOU CANNOT FORGIVE YOURSELF? HOW CAN YOU FORGIVE YOURSELF WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THOSE WHO SPEAK MY VOICE AND RELAY MY TEACHINGS?

"Shut up! Shut up! All of you just go away!" When Da'an looked around, he found that humanoid men in black hooded robes with no faces had replaced the priests. He could still feel their eyes staring at him. These were the eyes of divinity. They were the eyes of God, and they were judging him. He backed away in terrible fear as they gathered closer to him. He found himself pinned to a wall with their menacing and judging forms closing in on him. Da'an had never believed in any kind of divinity…until now. He turned away from them in a vain effort to convince himself that this was all in his mind—that there was no one god that judged all beings, that he could atone on his own accord. But as those hidden eyes came only an arm's length away from grabbing him and casting his mortal soul into the land of eternal suffering, Da'an saw how easy it was to turn to religion, and the only thing even close to religion that he knew of was the Commonality. He began to cry for them. He began calling for the sympathy and the mercy of his brethren, begging for forgiveness and atonement.


	4. Chapter 4

Day Three

Da'an's condition had spring-boarded from stiff and deathly to limp and feverish. When Liam touched him, he could feel the energy rushing through him, and then his own blood began to pick up the pace. The Taelon's rapid eye movement and jerking head could only mean than he was in the middle of an endless nightmare. Liam wanted to wake him up and tell him none of it was real. This was all just some drug-induced hallucination. Or was it? Liam had no way to be sure. No one did, except for Da'an, and Liam had a strong suspicion that Da'an was not in any position to contemplate what was happening to him and why. Occasionally, Da'an's entire body would squirm as if he was scrambling to get away from something or someone. Other times, he would shudder in what Liam knew was terror. Liam wanted Da'an to hear him. He wanted to know that Da'an could feel him gripping his hand as if Da'an was on the edge of a cliff about to jump with Liam begging him to stay. However, as the day grew longer with absolutely no change in Da'an's appearance, it became clearer and clearer to Liam that there was absolutely nothing he could do for his friend, and realizing just how useless he was made Liam storm out of that room in despair and run to a place where the light was brighter and more welcoming.

Renee stayed with Da'an longer. She had never felt a stronger connection to Da'an than she did during these days. She could not describe the connection, and she could not even begin to think about why. However, unlike Liam, she knew that no matter where Da'an was right now, eventually he would hear her. Eventually he would feel her cheering him on and telling him not to give up. She stayed and helped them monitor Da'an's vitals and regulate the energy shower. She had to make the best of this and hope for Da'an. As morning turned to noon, Renee finally realized why she felt so strongly connected to Da'an. Never in the few years she had known Da'an had he ever been so determined to do whatever it took to gain his freedom. Even though their paths were miles different and apart, both Da'an and Renee had the same goal. They wanted freedom.

"Don't you give up," Renee whispered. "Don't you let anyone tell you to give up."

Mem'na, Renee and Liam had learned, was the primary nurse in charge of Da'an's care, and Alo'in, the minister who had preached such grievous words the day before, was the prime minister. The other four were their protégés.

By the time Liam had left, Da'an's temperature was so high that it was not safe for Renee to directly touch him. He burned whatever clothes with which they tried to cool him.

"How are his vitals?" Renee asked Mem'na ignoring the fist that smashed into the wall outside.

"Not critical, but not normal either," Mem'na replied. "I would not worry too much. This is to be expected."

"Is it the drugs?" Renee asked bluntly.

"Is that what you believe it is?" Mem'na asked back. "You believe this has nothing to do with spiritual renewal? That Da'an is not actually on another spiritual level fighting for his freedom?"

"All I truly know of is what I see," Renee said. "Alo'in may not admit it, but the drugs he and the rest of you are using on Da'an are hallucinogens. They make him high, and then he starts to see these wild fantasies. This doesn't depend on Da'an's mind. It depends on his immune system. All you people are doing is drugging him away from the Commonality."

"If you have truly dealt with the Taelons and the Synod as you say you have, then you should know by now that nothing is ever truly as it seems," Mem'na said calmly. "Taelons are not like humans. Taelons can control every voluntary and involuntary function of their bodies with a single thought. Da'an's immune system _is_ his mind."

"His mind is under the influence of alien narcotics," Renee argued. "These aren't chemicals preserving Da'an's body until his soul returns. They're narcotics producing the images that you call near death experiences. What's happening to him now is a bad reaction to the drugs."

"If the experiences Da'an undergoes are hallucination, then the images that every being experiences only seconds before they die are also hallucinations wrought on by the very sedatives doctors use to attempt to revive them. Dreams are nothing more than illusions wrought on by chemicals in the air that normally would not affect the body due to an immune system that is more active in the daytime when the individual is awake. The Commonality is nothing more than a huge delusion caused by a mass hysteria the priests induce upon the Taelons via a drug whose existence has not yet been confirmed. God is a delusion of grandeur wrought on by bad church wine and a series of schizophrenic prophets capable of producing mass hysteria that they laughingly call 'miracles.' Drugs cannot explain everything beyond this world, Ms. Palmer. Not all visions are merely mirages. There is not always an explanation for everything. Only Priestess Nye knows exactly why this procedure is so effective in freeing Taelons from the Commonality. Only she truly knows whether the drugs put the subject in a position to see what he normally would not see or whether the drugs merely _create_ what he would normally not see."

"If the images aren't created by drugs, then why does Da'an need them?" Renee asked. "He can connect to the Commonality anytime he wishes, and he doesn't need drugs to leave it. Why does he need it now?"

"Why is it that the drugs enable us to leave the Commonality without regression and without the drugs, leaving the Commonality causes regression?" Mem'na asked back.

Renee could give no answer.

"Young human, the mysteries of life leave room for imagination and creativity," Mem'na explained. "Without creativity, there is no art, no music, no poetry and no stories. Without stories, there is nothing to learn. And when there is nothing more to learn, there is nothing more to enjoy. When there is nothing more to enjoy, would you not prefer death and extinction? Your method of thinking is exactly the kind of thinking that is leading the Taelons on a path to extinction. If you cannot even subtly acknowledge the mysteries of the afterlife and the fantasies that dreams produce, how can you expect to have any faith whatsoever? How can you believe in yourself and Da'an? How can you help him if you will not acknowledge what he fights for?"

Renee sighed. "I do believe in the supernatural. I do believe in God and religion. I just don't believe that Da'an needs your drugs to get through this. He can do it on his own."

"He _is_ doing it on his own, Ms. Palmer. He volunteered to undergo the ritual, he allowed us to sedate him, and he truly believes that this ritual can give him the freedom he longs for. Is that not enough?"

"It should be, but a part of me can't just accept that. I need more."

"Then, try to have a little faith in us, and in him." Mem'na motioned her head towards Da'an. "He does."

"I do have faith in him, and I want to believe. That's why I'm here."

"If you truly have faith, then why did you bother to ask the question?"

"Because religion and spirituality aren't just springboards for creativity. So is science."

"Then, why can there not exist a universe where science and religion may reside together in a symbiotic relationship for us all to acknowledge and embrace?"

Renee smiled. It was difficult to do, but she managed to smile. "Mem'na, if more people like you existed in this universe, then that would be the case already."

Mem'na nodded in acceptance of the compliment. "For what it is worth, your friend is much stronger than he looks."

"Does he know that?" Renee asked.

"I do not know. Perhaps you should tell him."

Renee shook her head not knowing how to feel. So she took a piece of cold cloth and took Da'an's hand. It was the closest she could ever come.

* * *

Huddled against the wall, Da'an did everything he could to avoid the judges in their black ghastly robes. He could feel their angry souls latching on to him.

"Please just go away," Da'an whispered with his head buried in his hands. "This is not real. You are not real. This is all just a dream."

The floor reverted back to its clear liquid composure, but seconds before those dark figures could grab him and cast him into whatever hell they had planned for him, Da'an fell through the floor as if he had just fallen into a lake.

The stonewall image where he had once stood to face the priests melted away, and Da'an suddenly found himself in the middle of a lake buried under water. Disoriented by the sudden change, Da'an could not tell which direction led to freedom. The water began to seep into his body, clogging the few organs he had of the air they needed to function. He knew that if he did not find some kind of air soon, his energy would breakdown causing an osmosis that would reduce his body to liquid and his soul into nothing. He would drown as he once did before.

The fear of the water settled itself. The panic only made it worse. The pressure to find some air quickly took its toll, and soon Da'an began to recall the fear and pain he had felt when his own parent held him under the cold stream of water drowning him. He recalled the look his parent gave him. It was a look of disgust—disgust of what he believed was a demonic child. It was a look of terror—terror that his actions would wreak a terrible havoc by this abomination. To be clear, it was a look of pure insanity, a look that raped into the drowning child's very soul. Never had he felt so violated as he did when he realized that his parent no longer loved him.

A pair of hands grabbed Da'an and forced him down. He tried to fight their powerful grip, but his mind was already weakening from lack of oxidation. It was happening all over again. When he looked up, he could see him. He could see Bel'lie with that look of hatred. Da'an's eyes rolled back into his head as he realized that there was nothing he could do to fight him. But then, he had survived before somehow. Or had he? He could not remember. If he could somehow remember how he survived—if he survived—he could do it again. He simply had to think. His eyelids shut and his façade melted away.

That was when he felt the hands release him. He felt the sandy surface beneath his back, and he pulled himself out of the water and into the air. The air rushed through and the water squeezed out of him so quickly that he lost his balance, and his vision blurred. When he was oriented enough to move, he scrambled out of the lake and into the trees. He leaned on a stump and coughed out what was left of the water.

In the back of his mind, he could hear splashing. He could hear muffled screams and limbs flailing. It took all of his courage to turn back to the water, but when he did, he saw a Taelon hunched over in the water. He was pushing a tiny body down into it, and the splashing Da'an had heard was the child's vain struggle to save himself. Da'an knew it was Bel'lie. Then, it had been true. It was never a dream. Bel'lie had drowned him when he was young. The muffled screams stopped. Now, the child was just struggling. Da'an did not know whether to feel sympathy, sadness or anger, but he chose to feel anger. A faint memory echoed in the back of his mind as he watched the splashing cease and the bubbles stop.

There were two children sitting against the wall. One held the other's hand.

He is going to kill you. He hates you. He is not afraid of you. He is afraid of what you could turn into. He thinks you could turn into a demon, and he will try to justify your death as preserving your innocence. Always stay with me. As long as he is here, never leave my sight, and never say one word to him. Remember, sibling, I will always love you, and I will always protect you.

So that was why he never spoke. That was why he always gave Bel'lie that look. He knew it was going to happen. It had all been a matter of when. But Bel'lie did something Ma'el could not control nor predict. He took Da'an as he slumbered. When he awoke, it was too late.

All motion of the child stopped. The child was dead. He had drowned. It surprised Da'an when Bel'lie shuddered and started to whimper in sadness. It surprised him even more when Bel'lie begged for forgiveness.

Suddenly, Bel'lie froze. He winced sharply and placed his hand on his head as if someone had just clubbed him. He dropped the dead child and whirled around in severe pain to see another child.

It was Ma'el! When he awoke to find his sibling gone, he had rushed into the woods to find him. Intense rage was in those eyes of his. Bel'lie winced in awful pain. It felt as if someone was drilling into his mind, body and soul. Da'an began to wonder if this was pain, guilt, or were they one and the same?

That was when the anger resurfaced. Da'an wanted him to suffer for what he had done. And he folded his arms and watched with pleasure as Ma'el continued to punish him. But still, it did not seem like enough. No, it was not enough to suffer mental pain. He had to go through physical pain as well. Apparently his younger self had been thinking the same thing. Like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, the young Da'an rose from the water with a look ten times more vengeful than Ma'el's could ever be. Bel'lie froze in pure terror.

No. It is impossible! I destroyed you.

Bel'lie's neck began to tighten as if an invisible noose was wrapping itself around him. He choked and backed into a tree to support himself. When he somehow found enough strength to fight back, he lunged at the little Taelon, but he had forgotten about Ma'el. Ma'el stopped him with a single painful thought. Ma'el had told Bel'lie's mind that a rock had just hit him, and Bel'lie body accepted the message. Bel'lie recovered from his dizziness, but when he tried to stand, he found that his limbs had paralyzed.

Da'an and his younger self appeared to be one and the same now. Both jerked their heads to the right, and a barrage of trees cracked in two like toothpicks. Their mighty trunks appeared to be kneeling before the children. When the two jerked their heads to the left, more followed the kneeling trees' lead.

No. Please, child. You cannot do this. I am your parent! I am all you have in the world! I was only trying to help you.

Their eyes turned blood red with a look that held no emotion other than pure rage.

The cracked tree trunks snapped away from their stumps in a foreboding sound as loud as thunder. The young Da'an began to float in the air as the trunks, the dirt, and the fallen leaves circled around him like a cyclone. They spun faster and faster until they burst into flames. Bel'lie was pulled into the ring of fire, and the spinning flames grew closer and closer to him. Soon the water behind him burst into flames. Flames sprung from the ground like demonic weeds. The entire area was consumed, but all Bel'lie could do was focus on the infuriated and vengeful scowls of his two children.

Bel'lie's screams were all that could be heard throughout the Commonality as a huge chunk of the mighty forest exploded.

And through it all, not once did Da'an feel a sorry shred of shame.


	5. Chapter 5

Day Four

The four nurses raced into Da'an's room with more of their alien sedatives, but Liam had not been in there all day. In fact, he had not been there since he'd stormed out. He had taken long walks around the temple to get a feel of the place. It was peaceful. The walls were not thick, but they were soundproof. All there was were his own thoughts and the passing wind. It was raining outside today, so Liam was confined to the main hall where Nye was conducting a worship service. Fewer were there than he'd expected. They all wore blue robes with metallic silver lacing. Liam felt like he was in a mosque observing an Islam prayer service. Their movements were certainly similar. It was peaceful just to watch them.

But there was no peace for Da'an. That's where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be supporting his friend, but it seemed like there was no point in doing so. Da'an was far beyond his help. He began to think he should have gone back with Street to Earth. There was no place for him here. Why in the world had Da'an asked him to go? Wait. He had said that he was going with him. He had wanted to go. For some reason, Liam could not remember who had asked to go first: him or Da'an.

After the prayer service, one of the nurses from Da'an's room offered Liam some food. He accepted it, but he didn't eat it. He was too busy thinking. Nye sat next to him in the blue robe in which she had conducted the service.

"You should eat," Nye suggested. "It loses its freshness after a while."

"I'll live," Liam said. "I've had too much sugar anyway."

"Is that why you are here and not with your friend—because the food is too sugary?" Nye asked humorously.

Liam allowed himself to smile, but only for a second. "Why am I here?"

"Because Da'an asked you to come," Nye said.

"No he didn't. I told him that I would go with him. He said he understood."

"He understood because he wanted you to come anyway."

"I'm useless to him. Whatever's happening to him—he's miles away from me now—light years. How in the hell can I help him? The only thing I'm good for is watching a good friend die. I'm his protector, for God's sake!"

"And as his protector, your job is to keep him from death. You feel incapacitated."

"Why should I bother if he's going to continue to take stupid risks?"

"Is that what you consider this?" Nye asked solemnly.

"You said it yourself. He's going to die, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

"When I said it was highly unlikely that he would survive, I also thought that he would not last past the first day."

"Four days. Whoop-dee-damn-doo. Only six to go now. He's not even halfway done."

"In Da'an's mind, mere minutes have passed. Each minute, to him, could bring pain, sadness, recollection, epiphany, sorrow, uncertainty—all of these things. In a way, you and he are enduring the same, and yet one of you is here contemplating surrender. Who is the stronger?"

"I just wanna know why this is happening. Why my companion and no one else's?"

"When you were off finding your destiny, how many worried for your safety? How many times did you risk your life? How many times did you think to yourself, 'this is the last I shall ever see of my loves ones?'"

"Lots of times."

"And how many times did Da'an want to help you? How many times did he want you safe and out of harm's way?"

Liam bobbed his head. "A lot, I guess. Renee, Lili, Auger—I guess everyone worried about me."

"And out of all the times you put yourself in harm's way, out of all the times you faced death's door, how many times did you return unscathed?"

"A lot, I suppose. But for Da'an, it's totally different."

"How is it so different?"

"I was never in limbo facing myself and fighting…oh…" Liam began to think about the time he put himself in a near death state to save Auger and Maiya. He had been a hairline away from death. What would they all have done if…

"Young man, not every challenge is going to be easy, and you will not always be there to protect Da'an," Nye said. "There will be many occasions where Da'an will have to put himself in harm's way in order to move ahead. Does it make him reckless? Does it make your job mute? I cannot answer that. What I do know is that before he came to Earth, Da'an lived for over two thousand years conquering every challenge that came his way without your help and many times without protection. Despite how fragile he may seem at times, he is stronger than he appears to be. Even I underestimate him at times, and I have been inside his mind."

Liam shook his head in confusion. "What's the point of your story?"

"My point is that there are some paths that were meant to be undertaken alone," Nye explained. "Even though Da'an must undergo this ritual alone, he asked for you to remain by his side because he cares for you. Sometimes, the mere presence of a good friend is good enough. Da'an did not ask you to come here as a protector. He asked you to come here as a friend. Your presence is what Da'an needs right now, not your protection, and despite what you think, that is an encouragement and a compliment of the highest kind."

Liam's smile remained a little longer this time. "I just wish I knew how it got to this point in the first place. It all happened too fast. I never expected it."

"Neither did I when it first happened to me. Perhaps I will tell you about it someday," Nye said rising.

"What's wrong with now?" Liam asked.

"Not now. Tomorrow," Nye said. "Right now, you have a friend who could use your support."

"Renee's taking care of him right now, and we're not going anywhere for a while."

"You are certainly resilient once you get curious, but I was not referring to him. I was referring to her, the one you love."

It took Liam a second or two to realize that Nye was no longer focused on him but rather on the beautiful blonde behind him.

"Hey Renee," Liam said slowly.

"Feeling better?" she asked quietly.

Liam nodded.

"Mem'na and Alo'in asked me to leave. They said that I should spend a day with you. You looked like you could use some company."

"Was it that obvious?"

"If it is obvious to me, major, than it is more than obvious to her and my peers," Nye said taking her leave. She ignored the dirty look Liam gave her.

"What about Da'an?" Liam asked to Renee.

"He'll still be the same when we get back. He'd want us to rest, I think. Wanna take a walk?"

"It's raining outside," Liam said pointing to the window.

"Then, just sit with me."

"Here?"

"Why not? You've got food," Renee said pointing to his fruit.

Liam took a bite of the purple fruit. "Hop on."

* * *

Da'an had had all he could take of Bel'lie's ranting and ravings once he saw them haul him off to the infirmary. It appeared as if a volcano had erupted. All plant life had been reduced to ash, and nothing of the creek was left but a puddle. The Synod deemed it a forest fire caused by a lightning storm. Bel'lie, for attempting to murder his child, would soon face a long trial in front of the Synod, Da'an remembered. He also remembered that he and Ma'el would be passed on to Ka'li's care for some time. And as for what was left of this part of the forest, he was surprised anyone had survived. He was surprised that he had been capable of such destruction as a child. It made him understand the priests' decision to suppress his memories. He began to wonder if he would have done the same thing had he been in Bel'lie's shoes._"I should have given you to the Gods when you were born…"_

A stab of guilt hit Da'an hard on his right side.

"You cannot run from it, you know," a familiar voice said.

Da'an turned to see that man in the black mask staring at him.

"He tried to kill me. How was I supposed to feel?"

"He tried to kill you numerous times before you put him away. How did you feel then?"

"Leave me alone," Da'an said, shaking off bits of ash from his back and storming away.

"Where do you plan to go now, child?" the high priest asked.

"Anywhere but here."

"You still long to leave the Commonality?"

"I _long_ to understand what the point of all this is!" Da'an spat in frustration.

"The point, Da'an, is that feeling of guilt you had the moment you realized that you treat your own child the same way Bel'lie treated you," the high priest said. "The point is that despite your family's reputation of being so high and noble, you are truly no different than any other family at the time of the war. Every last one of you was paranoid, angry, and full of hate. My point is that the moment you stepped out of that water, you did not pity your parent. You did not attempt to reason with him. You did not even speak to him. You _wanted_ him to suffer, and when he did, you _enjoyed_ it. Does that sound familiar?"

"Do not even try to bring my child into this," Da'an said sinisterly.

"Or what?"

"You are not a holy man."

"I am a priest that has accepted that we are in a holy war. It is the purest against the separatists. You acknowledged this at one time. Now, you seek to walk away from us. Think about it, Da'an. You and I are not so unalike."

"Will you stop saying that! I am nothing like you."

"Then, why did you try to kill your parent? Why did you pass that same hatred that swelled inside of you to your own child?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"You belong with us, Da'an. You belong with your people. The fact is that you are incapable of leaving us because deep down inside, you know that you are just like us all. We are at war. The actions that you call horrid are for our own survival. Even if you did break away from the Commonality, no human would have you. You claim that humanity cares for you and will take you in, but they do not. They have not even forgiven the generations before them for the tragic but necessary actions they enacted against their fellow man. Do you honestly believe that they will forgive you?"

"They certainly will not forgive me if I continue to associate myself with you."

"Us, Da'an! You _are_ us! You are just like us! You are not a good person. You are not diplomat. You are a killer, and without our interference, you would have killed every last person who opposed you. You would have turned out just like your own child. We channeled your rage. We saved you, Da'an. By eliminating your memories, we channeled that very evil you would have used on us against the _real_ enemies. You would not be half the Taelon you are today if not for us."

Da'an turned back to face the priest with a poisonous glare. "You are not a holy man," he repeated.

"Neither are you, child."

The hand of the high priest thrust Da'an out of the ash and into the ruins. It was the citadel that had once been a part of the Taelon capital. It was burning, and there were people screaming.

It was the massacre. That terrible event where Jaridian terrorists attacked the capital and killed numerous diplomats, soldiers, and innocent people, including Ka'li. A thousand years had passed, Da'an recalled. Zo'or had just been born via a joining with Quo'on. It would be the last heterosexual Taelon joining.

There was a child running through the ruins with his parent away from the screams. There was a shuttle waiting for them that would take them to a Taelon colony on one of the moons. They stopped when two Jaridians saw them.

Run! he told his child.

They both ran as fast as they could, but the Jaridians were too quick. They managed to grab the parent. The child turned to watch him wrestle the Jaridians.

Forget about me, boy! Just get to the shuttle!

He hesitantly ran. The Jaridians dragged the parent into a building and began beating him. The parent tried to fight them off, but they had shaquarava, and they were much too strong. One of them pulled out an energy knife. The parent froze. The Jaridian grabbed him and started hitting him.

"We are going to make you suffer, Taelon scum," he growled.

"Just kill me now and get it over with."

More Jaridians entered the room to see what all the fuss was about. One of them was a lieutenant. Da'an could tell by his clothing. He waved his hand, and the Jaridian beating the Taelon dropped him.

"Taelon scum!" one of the Jaridians yelled.

"Damn you!" the Taelon shot back.

"You obviously do not realize that you are mere seconds away from dying a very painful death," the Jaridian lieutenant said. "Now from what my soldier tells me there was a boy with you. Where is he?"

"I do not know."

"You Taelons are completely incapable of reason," the lieutenant said. He hit the Taelon with his shaquarava. The Taelon could barely stand.

"Useless Taelon bastard!" one of the soldiers taunted.

Da'an could tell the Taelon was suffering. At the corner of his eye, he saw that two people were watching. One was the child that had gone back for his parent. The other was the second parent, the one who had gone off on his own to look for the child. The badly beaten parent saw the boy hiding. A pleading look appeared on his face, begging the child to just leave him.

"Let me go! Leave me alone please!" he told the Jaridians.

"Tell us where the boy went! We saw you with him!" one of the soldiers barked.

"I don't know where he would go!" he shot back.

"Tell us!" roared the lieutenant.

Da'an could see the angry figure in the dark. His eyes had turned bright red.

"What are you staring at!" yelled the lieutenant.

"N-Nothing," the Taelon panted.

The lieutenant looked in the direction of the Taelon and saw the meek child hiding. When the child figured it out, he was frozen with fear. The lieutenant looked pleased. He threw down the Taelon and started towards the child. Immediately, he began choking. The room began to rumble and objects started shaking and exploding, including the Jaridians' weapons.

"Wh-What is happening?" one of the soldiers trembled. "Lieutenant, sir, what is happening?"

The lieutenant was too busy choking to answer. He rattled and shook like a drowning victim. The child could not bear to watch at first, but soon the sounds started to fascinate him, and he turned back to look in wonder. One last rattle came from the lieutenant, and he collapsed on the floor never to harm another soul again. The other soldiers, pale with the terror that a hex had been placed on them by the beaten Taelon, all raced out of the building back into the screams.

The beaten Taelon on the ground looked more enraged than he did afraid. (_Ungrateful bastard!_) He knew that it was not just he and the child in the room. Da'an! Did you do this!

The second parent stormed out of his hiding place and took the child with him to meet Quo'on. Zo'or only stared at Da'an and Quo'on for a second. Then, he looked back at the dead Jaridian, fascinated by the corpse. Quo'on gave Da'an a dirty look. How could you do this!

There was nothing I did to him that he did not have coming to him.

That is not what I meant, and you know it! You cannot kill a Jaridian that way. No Taelon can! How did you do it?

What does it matter? He was about to take our child, and I gave him what we wished upon him.

I do not give the finest dirt about that piece of scum! You murdered him with telekinesis. No Taelon can do that.

I was protecting our child! One less of those knaves to deal with! Tell me that if you could have, you would not have done the same.

Quo'on hung his head low and placed his hand on the back of Da'an's neck. Dearest. You know I would have.

Da'an took his hand. We are wasting time. The shuttle will not wait for us. What is he doing?

Zo'or! Stop that!

Zo'or instantly stopped poking the corpse and stared at Quo'on.

Now, you listen to me and listen well. Quo'on said grabbing the child by his shoulders. Tell no one of this, boy! Do you understand me?

Yes, sir, Zo'or said in a strange tone.

No Taelon can kill! If anyone asks, Da'an did nothing to him! Your parent was never even here. The other Jaridians killed him. Do you understand!

Yes, sir, again with that strange tone.

You promise us. Promise us both.

I promise you both.

Good. Now we must hurry.

Da'an had never recalled that until now. He also recalled that the three never made it to that shuttle. The Jaridians commandeered them before they could reach the shuttle and took their revenge upon them. The Taelon soldiers would have to rescue them, and the fighter pilots would have to bombard the entire capital to drive the terrorists out. Days later, the Synod would declare war on the Jaridians, and the beginning of the end would occur.

"Do you pity that dead Jaridian?" the high priest asked Da'an.

"I pity my child for having to see that," Da'an said.

"He has seen much worse than that."

"I should not have been the one to have stolen his innocence. I am his parent. I should have tried to preserve it, but I was angry and backsliding."

"And now you threaten to walk out on him forever, at the time he needs you the most."

"Do you even know what he plans to do?"

"He can be saved. You both can. That is why he needs you so. We all need you."

Da'an forced the high priest's hand from his shoulder. "No. I will not do that. I will not be branded to hell with the rest of you."

"The path you are on right now is what shall lead you to hell. Ours is the path of salvation. We can purify you. We can cleanse you of the beast that lurks within you."

"I can only cleanse myself, and I cannot do that as long as I am with the likes of you." He started to run.

"Keep in mind, Da'an, if you wanted to truly free yourself, you would have done so by now. You remain under my guidance not because of me, but because of yourself. You know I am correct, even if you choose not to admit it. By pursuing this path, you are only furthering your own misery."

Da'an continued to run until he was out of the bitter memories and out of the range of the high priest's gruesome distorted voice. He was nothing like them. He knew it, and somehow, he was going to prove it.


	6. Chapter 6

Day Five

"If you had all resources at your disposal, how far would you go to protect your companion?" Nye asked Liam the next morning.

Liam had awoken early to find her before morning services.

"I don't know."

"Would you go so far as to deny him his freedom?"

"Never."

"Even if it was in his best interests?"

"I wouldn't do anything to make Da'an uncomfortable, if that's what you're asking. We've never really disagreed about my security methods though."

"What about your government? Has it ever gone so far as to deny its people of its freedom in order to protect them?"

"It's doing so now. But it also did so in the early twenty-first century after a terrorist attack destroyed the World Trade Center and killed a lot of people. The Patriot Act gave police officials the ability to search people's houses without a warrant if they suspected terrorist activity. There were random checks at the airports like there are now at the portal stations. There was security all over the place, and it made a lot of people feel uncomfortable."

"And now, Zo'or and the Synod, with the help of governments around the world are doing the same thing with volunteers instead of police officials, correct?"

"It's one of the many things we're trying to stop. The companions have everyone spooked into believing that a Jaridian invasion's on the way. Security's at its highest at the portal stations. Volunteers have the right to search your home, your car, and your workplace if they suspect you to be a part of any anti-companion organization. They call us terrorists."

"Does that make you angry?"

"It makes me very angry. What right do they have to invade on our privacy based on a threat that doesn't exist?"

"Tell me, major, if you had been alive during the early twenty-first century when fear of terrorism was spread by your own government, would you still feel that way?"

"No government should violate any of its citizen's basic rights."

"And what of times of war? Do you believe that still applies?"

"People already feel on edge during war times, so no."

"But it also makes some people feel more secure and safe to know there are officers on the street taking away the evil. In fact, some people are willing to give up their freedoms during war times just to feel safe. Was that not the case back in the forties and fifties during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War?"

"You've really researched into this," Liam complimented. "In my mind, we're at war already, and during war times, I believe that if people have nothing else to rely on, if they have nothing else to go on, they should at least feel that they still have their basic rights as citizens. No child should be afraid to go to school every morning because an officer's parked outside his house. No one should have to fear that their most private moments will be exposed in the name of security."

"Even if the officer conducting the search is courteous, kind, and gives you his word that there is nothing to worry about?"

"Officers lie, courtesy is only lasts as long as innocence does, and in a lot of people's minds, when an officer barges into their home—even in sheep's clothing—there's always something to worry about. Why are you asking me all of this?"

"Because I want you to understand why the Commonality became the way it is to Taelons. I want you to understand why the priests believe what they are doing is for the betterment of all Taelons. I want you to understand why Da'an and Taelons like him were so willing to entrust their fate to the priests, the Commonality, and the Synod."

Nye led Liam into the same area where her prayer services had gone on yesterday. Then, she offered for him to sit on the blue mat.

"The Commonality was never meant to be a mind prison. It was never supposed to carry the degree of power over an individual that it has today. The Commonality was originally nothing more than a psychic link that enabled the Taelons to sustain their forms with the help of their brethren. It represented brotherhood and helping your fellow man. Your Kimeran ancestors meant for it to be this way and no other way. However, they also knew that Taelon enemies would try to attack the Commonality, and a rupture could mean the end, so they bestowed a sacred power on eight individuals. These eight individuals were supposed to be spiritually and mentally superior in the seven virtues essential to sentient life: courage, brotherhood, honesty, trustworthiness, love, faith, and knowledge. Each priest was especially selected based on his or her adherence to that key virtue."

"Seven virtues for seven priests. What about the eighth?"

"The eight was supposed to be incorruptible. When all other virtues faded, he would be a beacon. The high priest, the priest of light."

"So what happened?"

"At first nothing. We were a prosperous society. We were peaceful with little to no enemies. The priests were never anything more than advisors. They blessed all new children to the Commonality. They offered guidance to the lost and forgiveness to the heavy of heart. Things began to change however when the Jaridians began expanding their territory. The Jaridian Empire became so large that inevitably they began to attack us. It was never anything truly serious. No Jaridian had ever attacked the planet or the moons. Most attacks were isolated and abroad. However, as the Jaridians grew more and more powerful, the Taelons looked to the priests for security.

"That was when the Synod was created. All the Taelon territories united and the result was a Synod of thirteen members. Elite Taelons were elected to bring unity and security to the Commonality. They handled the political, and the priests handled the spiritual. Soon we began to draw our own empire, one strong enough to compete with the Jaridian armies. As our power grew, little by little our freedom began to die. It happened so subtly that no one noticed, and anyone who did notice dismissed it by claiming it was just for the best. I do not believe that anyone expected the Commonality's power to grow so large for so long. That is often how corruption rears its ugly head, however."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"Because I was one who believed such things. I embraced our imperative to grow and expand to impede the growing Jaridian threat. You see, I was once a priestess just like them."

Liam's focus on Nye's face grew. Surprise only lasted for a moment and was replaced by curiosity. He felt that he had always known she was a priestess. What he really wanted to know was why she left.

"My best virtue is knowledge, as you probably guessed. It was why Ma'el intrigued me so when I first met him. He was such an anomaly. I doubt any words in any language could describe what went on inside his mind. Nobody could have known what he foresaw. I always wondered if he knew that I was going to depart from the priesthood. But now, I wonder if he did not create my future when he implanted those images in my mind."

"What do you mean?"

"Ma'el knew what we were going to do to Da'an, and he also knew we would attempt to do the same to him. He knew we would fail as well, which was why he was so defiant and audacious when he came to us on the day of his sixteenth year. The whole time he seemed especially focused on me. He knew that, unlike the other priests, he intrigued me. We tried to psychologically break him by calling him an abomination. We tried to convince him that his gifts were dangerous and that he was hurting those he had meant to help. He was immovable, like a stonewall. For every question, he had an answer, and for every criticism, he had a retort. He said we had abused our power so terribly that we had become corrupt in our own illusion of security. We had abused the gifts the Kimera had bestowed upon us. We abused it the moment we slaughtered them for trying to correct their mistake. Our paranoia had gotten the better of us, and in the end we would pay for our sins by bringing the entire Taelon species down with us. Strong words from such a young Taelon, and I never would have believed him had the destruction of our planet never occurred. He had predicted it to the precise date—the price for our ignorance and arrogance. However, on that day he came to us with his many radical predictions, he bestowed a special one upon me that none of my fellows knew of. He said that I would be the only one to believe. I would be the only one to save his sibling. Every now and then, I wonder if he selected me. Perhaps he knew that I was the only one who would listen to him. Whatever it was, I could no longer stand for the corruption that had overtaken my fellows. They were so high on their power and the religion they had created 'in the best interests of the Taelons' that they had lost all of their virtues. What riled me the most was how unaware they were of their own corruption. So I left. The priests said that I had died on the planet, and they turned me into a martyr.

"I never thought I would see the day that I would come to Ma'el for guidance, but I had to see him before the day he left. By the time I came, he had prepared his ship for time travel to Earth. He said that he knew I was coming, and he told me that he already had answers to my questions. He said that he had implanted a series of memories inside Da'an, and that on the day those memories surfaced, I was to bring him here and grant him the freedom he needed to liberate the Taelons from the Commonality that had evolved into a prison."

"How did Da'an even lose his memories of his childhood?" Liam asked.

"We believed that suppressing Da'an and Ma'el's gifts was not enough. As long as they were together, they would find a way to renew their gifts. Therefore, we had to destroy all knowledge of their familial relationship. The first of that was to destroy their birth records and create new ones. To this day, every Taelon that is alive today knows that Da'an and Ma'el are not related in the slightest. Da'an's parent was Bel'lie, and Ma'el's parent was Tam'bi. The two had no relation. The next step was to rid the twins of all memories of their childhood. Because Da'an was not as mentally strong as Ma'el was, we succeeded with him. We were never able to break Ma'el, but we had manipulated Da'an so well that he wanted nothing to do with Ma'el anyway. Ma'el could never even attempt to convince Da'an that they were related."

"How do you turn twins into strangers?"

"Despite the fact that their human facades make them look similar, their Taelon forms are not alike. They were not identical. They were fraternal. That was why it was doable. It also helped that once Da'an's memories were eliminated, we isolated him for a year. We said that he was undergoing special training to become a diplomat. In reality we were…brainwashing him, I believe is how you would put it. By the time we were through with him, Ma'el was a stranger, not even worthy enough for déjà vu."

"That was why Da'an was so willing to accept it."

"Yes. Whenever something happened that would bring him too close to the truth, we would eliminate any memory of it. The images you saw were pieces of the memories we suppressed."

"Why didn't you make any effort to tell Da'an after you left?"

"Ma'el asked me not to. He said it was meaningless as long as he was under the priests' control. The only way I could help him was to find a way to free him, and as a former priestess, I was the only one who could. Now I have, and I am keeping my promise to Ma'el despite the fact that my mind and my logic tell me that Da'an will not succeed."

"Don't you have any faith in him at all? You had enough faith in his twin to follow his orders even after this long."

"I am the priestess of knowledge, Liam. I am not without my skepticism. However, I am also willing to learn, and, in this case, I am ready and willing to admit when I am wrong." Nye turned to the window and listened to the drip of water from the limbs of the trees. "Plenty of moisture today. Your friend is currently at peace."

Liam nodded. "So am I."

* * *

As Da'an ran further and further from the high priest, the ground gave way beneath his feet. However, instead of falling, Da'an found himself floating. It was quiet and calm. The weightlessness soothed him so that fear never had a chance to overtake him. Suddenly he thought of "The Silent Life."

When he felt the weightlessness subside, he found himself on a sandy ground. He lifted himself from the floor to find himself in the middle of an endless sea of sand dunes. There was no wind, and Da'an could not feel the immense heat causing the mirage in the distance. As he walked, the sand beneath his feet felt smooth and comforting.

In the distance, a wavy mirage seemed to take on the appearance of a man. Da'an could see the legs slowly approaching him. Soon the arms and the head came into place, and Da'an was certain that it was a man coming his way. Suspicious that it was a priest, Da'an thought of walking away, but as he got closer, Da'an realized that this man was not a priest. This man had a face, a face that was very much like his. However, Da'an could see the masculine features in his lips, his brows, and his cheeks. Underneath his brown hood, Da'an could see the dark red hair on his head.

Now he was inches away from Da'an, and neither of them could budge. A warmth was with this man in the hood, a familiar warmth.

He removed the hood to reveal a man with bright blue eyes, eyes like Da'an's.

"Hello twin," he said in a masculine voice.

Da'an did not know what to say.

"It has been a long time."

Da'an observed the sand underneath his feet. "Ma'el…"

He brought Da'an's head back up to face him. "Yes."

A brilliant blue blush covered Da'an's body. "Th-This is not real. You are dead."

"The dead have a place in this plane…along with those awfully close."

"How did you…"

"Does this form discomfort you?" he asked.

"It makes me curious."

"I chose it as a reflection of my personality. It is only a façade. I am still your twin underneath." He blushed to prove his point, but Da'an was not convinced.

Da'an's fingers made their way across his hair and his forehead, all the while with his eyes examining his twin's very closely. Ma'el's hand met his and joined palms with his. A sudden flush of emotion and warmth ran through Da'an's body. "It _is_ you."

Ma'el chuckled. Then, he lifted one finger to get his twin's attention. He let his fingertips meet his twins, and then a ponderous look overcame him. "Blue."

"Always," Da'an replied. They both chuckled.

Ma'el turned and gestured for Da'an to walk with him.

"How did you create this place?" Da'an asked him.

"The same way you are recreating your own memories."

"You were watching me?"

"It appeared that you could use some aid."

"I do not even know why I am here anymore. This entire journey has me twisted and confused. I do not know how to feel about all of this."

"Now you know how I felt when I first came to Earth."

"Why did all of this have to happen so quickly? I was not prepared for it at all."

"Even the wisest man who can see his death miles ahead of him is never truly prepared to face it."

"I feel so lost."

"Your path is at a moment of change. Everything that you have learned to embrace is under question and suspicion right now. You have no idea how to face it, much less how to understand it."

"I liked it back when I knew what my future held in store for me, regardless of how bleak it was. All of this is too much. I have no clue where to go from here. I actually thought I would have a hundred things to say to you if I ever saw you again, and now I can only think of one."

"You want to know your future. You want to know what lies ahead for you should you free yourself."

"You will not answer that."

"I cannot."

"Then, you can at least tell me why this all has happened."

"The path to salvation has to begin with one. Why you are that one should not be your concern. The time of the priests and the Commonality is reaching its end. The Commonality was never meant to last forever. The Kimera knew that eventually the Taelons would evolve past the need for it. That time is now, and those who control the Commonality are threatened. Once they lose the Commonality, all of their power and control is mute. People like this will not let the Commonality fade away so lightly."

"If that is the case, then you and I are not anomalies. We are evolutionary."

"Now, you understand."

"But why me? Why should I lead them?"

"Because right now, you are the only one they would listen to. Individuality is not an anomaly, nor is it an abomination. It is the next step on the Taelon's path towards evolution."

"Only ours?"

"For every sentient species in the universe, evolution varies. Change is a vicious cycle. For individual become unity only to have it change back again. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The leader of the change must be an Amo'qui."

"Why?"

"The Amo'qui family is the only existing Taelon line now that directly descends from the original priests."

Now it made sense. Now he truly understood. "That is why you want me, and that is why the priests of now are trying so hard to control me."

"And it only gets more difficult from here. After this, I will not be able to assist you, and the priests will do everything in their power to break through your very soul. All the sins of your past are about to return to haunt you. You will beg for either death or mercy in the end."

"What can I do?"

"You go back."

A large sting of disappointment! "Now? But it has only been minutes. I can't leave you. I do not want to lose you."

"I came here to give you one last message before the end. When you are at your lowest and on the edge of hell, I want you to remember something—something that I told you centuries ago as you slept. Once that happens, there will never be another doubt in your mind again and you will walk tall as you once did."

"Why can I not know now?"

"This is the way it has been done for centuries, Da'an. Things like this must be taken in steps, not leaps. You have taken a rather large step already. Trust me when I say that you are much stronger than anyone ever could have predicted. I could never in a million years have put myself through the burdens you have endured. I could never have made the critical decisions you face everyday. I am a like the stones that once made up the large desert land. I was once strong, but time has eroded me into sand. Now, all that is left for me to do is scatter with the winds. Mere tricks and premonitions are not the strongest mind, and the soul is not limited to its own sins. Break the river with sticks and stones, and you do not falter. To wound the calm, compassionate, and clear water is to only make you stronger. Split the sky with lightning and you are there. Melt the ice with fire and you rise." Ma'el placed his hand behind Da'an's neck. "One of us had to accept the burden, and you were always the stronger."

Da'an pulled Ma'el in and brought his forehead against his twin's. He did not understand.

"I am proud of you, my twin, and no matter where you go, I will always love you. I will always protect you."

The sky grew dark, and the clouds were replaced with stars.

"I shall always be with you," were Ma'el's last words.

Da'an held Ma'el close to him for one last time, and then he was alone again.


	7. Chapter 7

Day Six

"Four more days, Liam," Renee said the next morning. "Four more days and it'll be over."

"One way or another," Liam added.

"Think positive, Liam. He's lasted this long, and he was doing great yesterday."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. What's with all of this sudden optimism? I usually carry more optimism in my little finger than you do in your entire digestive system."

"Gee, that's a pleasant thought," Renee joked.

"I just never thought you'd be taking this as well as you are."

"Well, I actually have a good bedside manner in case you didn't notice. If you really want to know how I feel, I'm worried out of my mind. All of this is nuts. It's like I'm watching a tribal exorcism. It's like Da'an's some kind of shaman in a trance contacting dead people."

"More like he's hopped up on drugs being endlessly force fed to him by a bunch of Taelon religious fanatics."

"They say that all the drugs do is keep him in a trance."

"Yeah sure. A trance like a mental case high on PCP or LSD."

"Well, some Asian cultures have their boys drink strange potions or undergo painful rituals as a rite of passage into manhood. An African tribe has their warriors drink a mixture of cow's blood with milk to make them strong enough for battle."

"And you think that just because some of our cultures still do that primitive crap, we should let our friend get drugged day after day until he magically frees himself?"

"First of all, Liam, if you truly want to be one of the good humans on Earth, you need to learn to respect all cultures and their traditions regardless of how strange they may seem to you. Secondly, I had my doubts at first too, but this is the way they've been doing it for years. It's the only thing that works right now. All we can do is stand by and make sure that nothing terrible happens to Da'an. This whole time we've been constantly asking ourselves what we believe is going on with Da'an in there. Not once have we asked ourselves what he believes. We won't know until he comes out of it safe, sound, and hopefully free."

"I know all of that, and I do respect their culture. It's just…no matter what I do, I can't shake this feeling that all of this is gonna get worse before it gets better."

"Well, let's just go inside and make sure that doesn't happen," Renee suggested walking ahead of him and into the room.

Liam shook his head and followed.

Inside Alo'in and the four other ministers had surrounded Da'an and were praying. Mem'na, on the other side of the room, was brewing a strange new mixture. When Liam walked over to her to see what it was, he saw a strange blue flower in a bowl. Before he could get close enough to discover what type, Mem'na had already ground the flower and poured it into the mixture.

* * *

Da'an found himself in a very familiar place now. It was the embassy in Washington, DC. He saw himself sitting in his chair in front of the datastream that had been turned to the news. In his hand was a very familiar green vial.

"Shame about Senator Gale, don't you think?" Sandoval asked him.

He was too busy looking at the vial, but eventually he knew he would have to answer. Sandoval was not the type to leave even when he realized he was being ignored. "As a friend and supporter of the Taelons, his influence will surely be missed."

Da'an rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of criminals, Chairman Federov told me a very interesting story before he was shipped to Antarctica," Sandoval said. Da'an tensed as he saw his former protector unravel the purple substance that had for a brief time been his pleasure. "Care for some?"

Had he been able to, Da'an would have strangled his own self for that look. That tempted, agonized, and…_weak_ stare! How pathetic that purple siren had made him! It was enough to convince that he had submitted, but at least now he would know for sure.

"It's the human kryss. _Pure_ kyrss. Not that pitiful substitute Dr. Curzon created," Sandoval taunted ever so cleverly. "Zo'or has ordered the Taelons to accept the substitute, but you don't need to."

_Son of a bitch! _It was all Da'an could think of. The problem was he had no clue whether he was referring to himself or Sandoval as he watched himself pretend to look disgusted. "Please…take it away," he whispered shakily.

Sandoval knew he had him. It was so obvious! He poured a few crystals into the palm of his hand. "Just a little taste."

"Take it away," Da'an had practically begged.

Sandoval would not leave, and that only irritated him even further. _Of all the ones to expose your weakness…!_

It pained Da'an to watch himself slowly turn back and stare at the offering in Sandoval's miniscule little hand. He could see himself just seconds away from bolting upright and grabbing the substance.

"Come on, Da'an. One little taste isn't going to hurt you," Sandoval said. "No one has to know but me. It'll be our little secret."

He could not seem to control his hand. It slowly and painfully reached outward for the substance even though he seemed to be working so hard to force it back. Sandoval was ready to sprinkle it in when suddenly, the hand wrenched back. "No!"

"You can't resist it forever, Da'an. You want it. You need it. All the kryss in the world, just for you. You can wake up everyday and feel wonderful. To never have a care in the world, to never have to worry about anything—you want this, Da'an. Just take it."

He rose from his seat and stepped down. "Get out."

"Just one little taste isn't going to hurt you. For old time's sake," Sandoval said approaching him and holding the substance in front of his eyes.

He was hypnotized by it. He slowly took Sandoval's hand to get a good look at what he was throwing away. Da'an could tell that he wanted it, and it was right there just waiting to be taken. Just one measly little taste. It looked at first like he was absolutely going to take it, but remarkably, the hand that came so close to touching that nectar of the gods closed Sandoval's hand and pushed it away.

"Please just go away," he told Sandoval.

"Think about what you're doing, Da'an," Sandoval warned.

He turned away once more. "You take that vial and get it as far away from me as you can," Da'an said in a low voice.

As he watched himself, a wave of bad memories associated with the kryss resurfaced. He could tell that his other self was sharing the same memories at the same time.

"You will never have another chance like this," Sandoval said in frustration.

Da'an could tell he was getting just as frustrated. For some sick and twisted reason, Sandoval had made it his personal mission to turn him into a pathetic, groveling wretch. Da'an could also tell that he had figured that out as well, and his temper began to show as his hands clenched into two stiff fists.

"You take that vial and get it as far away from me as you can," he repeated more slowly this time in a tone he had not used since the war.

"You're a coward, Da'an. You're a dirty, pitiful coward." Sandoval had reduced himself to name-calling. "You're just as worthless as this kryss. You want to know why you fled so willingly to it? It's because you and it are just the same: weak, miniscule delusions of grandeur. You need this, Da'an! You are nothing without this. One day, when the pressure becomes too much for you, you'll come crawling back for this. You'll get down on your knees and beg me for this. I shall savor that day. The day that I expose you for the weak little pussy you are."

He turned back with glowing red eyes this time. The vial in Sandoval's hand began to rattle. Bewildered by those deep and angry eyes, Sandoval dropped the vial, but it did not fall. It floated there continuing its rattling. It shook faster and faster. The lights in the embassy began blinking on and off. Then, before Sandoval could react, the vial exploded! Millions of glowing particles scattered to the floor, but that menacing look remained.

"I am giving you exactly five seconds to leave my embassy," a deep guttural voice warned.

"You wouldn't kill me. Zo'or would have you for lunch, and the Synod would learn of your habit," Sandoval shot back.

"You'd be surprised to see what you can live through," those eyes told him.

"That's an idle threat. No Taelon is capable of violence. You would never blaspheme, Da'an. You'd be too much like me, remember?" Sandoval taunted.

Those eyes closed one more time, and when they opened Da'an recognized his own brilliant blues. "You are correct. I suppose that is why I am letting you leave here with the use of your legs."

"You haven't won anything here," Sandoval said marching out of his office.

"Neither have you," he retorted.

Sandoval looked back at the remains of the vial scattered on the floor like snowflakes. Then, he turned to leave again.

"Oh, and one more thing, Agent Sandoval," he called.

Sandoval gruesomely turned.

"Nobody…but _nobody_…fucks with me."

Da'an's looks of dread and disgust turned to bewilderment and excitement. A renewed hope for himself surfaced as he watched himself take one final disgusted look at the substance that had briefly enslaved him. He took the substitute and clenched it tightly. Then he cleaned up the mess and threw it out. Perhaps this is what Ma'el had been referring to. Da'an could not help but wonder if Ma'el would have been strong enough to resist so abrasively too. Those thoughts followed him out of the memory as he walked away with an appreciation for that will from within Liam had described to him and a newfound respect for himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Day Seven

Da'an had been calm the day before, and he remained that way now. When Liam went to check on him the next day, it was as if his companion was just dreaming. It made him wonder if the ritual was actually working. Maybe Da'an was truly going to survive and be free. Mem'na and Alo'in were looming over Da'an. In Mem'na's hands was a small clay bowl. It contained a thick blue liquid so dark that on first glance it appeared black. Liam wondered if this was the final product of the potion Mem'na had brewed the day before.

"What is that?" Liam asked.

"The final solution," Mem'na said. "It is time for your companion to break away."

"Then, what were all those other days meant for?" Liam asked. "I thought he was already on his way to breaking away."

"He was," Alo'in said. "I have been monitoring the experiences of your companion. He has adjusted to the near death state well, which surprises me. I thought for sure he would not survive this long. I believe that the priests are tampering with him."

"What do you mean tampering?" Liam asked.

"If the priests wanted your companion dead, he would be," Mem'na said. "Despite the fact that Da'an is in the near death state, he is still under the control of the Commonality, and therefore the priests. They want Da'an to believe that he is succeeding. They are playing with his mind."

"But why?"

"Because they can," Mem'na replied. "As Nye has taught us, it is not enough to merely be in a near death state to break away. The only true way a Taelon can leave the Commonality is to in fact die. The near death state that we have kept Da'an in until now was done to prepare him. Most of our subjects do not adjust to the near death state and they die. We believed the priests would choose to attack Da'an at that time, but now we realize that they have been waiting for this moment."

At the corner of his eye, Liam saw Renee watching from the doorway. He didn't have to truly see her. He could feel the fear and worry from her as she listened to their discussion.

"This moment?" Liam asked, dreading the response.

"Now that your companion has adjusted to the near death state, he has in fact adjusted with death and the land of the dead," Alo'in said. "It is now time for him to journey even further. It is time for him to truly break all ties to the Commonality. It is time for him to die."

Liam felt his heart sink. All of his hopes for Da'an came crashing down. How could a Taelon return from the dead? "And…that's…gonna kill him?" he breathed pointing to Mem'na's bowl.

"That is the unique difference between drugs and poisons," Alo'in said. "They both give off the same reaction, but only one truly kills."

"No! No! You are not going to poison Da'an like a sick puppy!" Renee screamed. "He's worked too hard for you to just kill him."

"Renee—"

"No! No, Liam! For the last seven days, I've been able to accept all of this. I've been able to accept you drugging him. I've been able to accept him in the near death state. Hell, I've even been able to accept why you're doing all this to him. But I am not in a million years going to accept you poisoning him. Can you resuscitate him?"

"Definitely not," Alo'in said. "He has to do that on his own."

"How in the hell can he bring himself back to life on his own?" Liam asked sternly.

"This is the way it has been done for years, major," Alo'in said. "We all endured this process for our freedom, and we all succeed. Do not presume to tell me that it cannot be done! Until he survives, your companion belongs to us. We have the power to do with him what we wish—"

Mem'na put one hand up to silence the minister. Then, she turned to the two concerned humans. "I understand your worry, but you cannot stop this. This was his choice, and therefore it must be his solution. Your faith has endured for this long, and your companion has come so far. How would he feel to lose it all just because the very people he trusted enough to help him through this pulled him out in fear of death? Time and time again you have asked me why you are here and how you could possibly help your companion. Well, this is it. This is why you are here, and this is the period where Da'an will truly need you. We have not just been preparing Da'an for this. We have been preparing you for it as well because after we administer the poison into Da'an's system, you will be the only ones here. Alo'in and I will not be able to assist."

Liam didn't know what to say. Renee grew pale white. "But we can't take care of Da'an if something happens. We're not medical professionals," Renee protested.

"That is not your purpose," Mem'na explained. "You are Da'an's most trusted and cherished friends. You are here because Da'an shares a deep and sacred bond with you. Your duty is to provide moral support. Only you belong here now. When Da'an is gone, only you will be able to reach him. He will only hear and listen to you."

"Count yourselves and your companion lucky," Alo'in said bitterly. "When Mem'na and I underwent the ritual, it was at a time when no one was allowed. We had to endure it alone, and if I had my way, it would be the same for Da'an."

Mem'na darted a threatening look at Alo'in. Before she could act on it, however, she was alerted to Renee's sudden gasps. When they turned to discover why, they saw Da'an's hand twitch. Liam and Renee rushed to his aid. Mem'na and Alo'in retained their postures.

Slowly and painfully, Da'an returned to awareness. Liam felt his companion's forehead while Renee took his hand.

"He's ice cold…in a way I've never felt before," Liam said.

"Da'an, can you hear me?" Renee asked softly.

Da'an weakly squeezed Renee's hand to acknowledge her voice.

"Can you talk?" Liam asked.

Da'an attempted to speak, but he was so weak, all he could do was croak.

"Da'an, you're not through yet," Renee said slowly and as calmly as she could. "Mem'na says that this is the last step of the ritual. It's going to be painful."

Da'an squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.

"The priests—"

Mem'na placed her hand on Liam's shoulder to prevent him from finishing. Then, she shook her head. Telling Da'an was not going to change anything. They both knew that.

"If you ever need us Da'an, if you ever feel afraid, or if you ever want to quit," Liam said, "just listen for us. We'll always be here, and we'll be there to help you."

Renee nodded.

Alo'in nodded, and Mem'na approached Da'an with the bowl. She and Alo'in began praying once more and then she poured the liquid into a pocket in the energy shower. She told Liam and Renee to step back, and then she turned on the energy shower. The once bright blue shower turned pitch black like a menacing cloud. All Liam and Renee could see was Da'an's left hand shaking violently and then falling limp.

* * *

As Da'an walked out of the memory, he found himself in another. This time, it was extremely dark. The only source of light was a ray through the window from the moons. At the corner was a boy with his knees pulled toward his chest. His head was buried in his knees, and he was so stiff he could have been mistaken for a solemn statue. He could see an older Taelon attempting to awaken him. It was not Bel'lie, Da'an could tell. It was someone else. This one looked kinder and more caring.

The Taelon softly called for a little child standing in the darkness. Can you help him? He has been like this ever since you saw the Caste Minister. I am worried.

The Taelon child came into the light and hugged Tam'bi. Tam'bi left as if he understood the sacred bond the two twins shared. Still, Tam'bi could not shake his fear.

Ma'el, it is your twin.

Nothing.

Ma'el, you must come out of this.

Nothing.

Ma'el…see me. Please see me. Please.

Ma'el's head slowly lifted to gaze in the eyes of his twin with unusually dark sockets. He grabbed the little Da'an's hand pulling him into a terrifying image that Da'an could only imagine.

I can see the prison!

What prison? Da'an asked.

The one that belongs to us. It will be our destruction.

Ma'el slowly reached out, and the young Da'an disappeared. The boy was looking straight at Da'an with those dark eyes. _Unleash the beast within._

Da'an hesitantly reached for Ma'el. His entire energy flow increased rapidly with his growing sense of fear. This is what an adrenaline rush feels like. When their hands made contact, Da'an's nucleon heart sunk into his stomach. The boy that was Ma'el disappeared and grew into the image of the high priest.

"You! You…tricked me!" Da'an gasped.

"You think this is a game, child!" the high priest cried. "You cannot leave the Commonality so easily. You are a part of it. You are a part of us, and as long as you belong to us, we can control you. You will beg for death when we are through with you."

"You…used me!" Da'an winced. "You've been playing me like a harp this whole time!"

"We should have killed you when you were born, but we were weak," the high priest said. "We sympathized with you. We thought you could be saved. We protected you from yourself, and now you have unleashed a whirlwind. After all we did for you, you faithless swine, you repay us by making your bed with humans. You are an abomination!"

"I repaid you with my servitude," Da'an gasped. "And I do not need you to save me!"

"Because you cannot be saved," the high priest said. "You are a killer. Not once have you used your gifts for good. All you have done was use them for evil."

"You never wanted to suppress my gifts. If you wanted to, you would have done it while I was still your slave. You blame me for all the deaths I caused with my gifts, but the fact is that you _meant_ for those deaths to happen. You _wanted _me to kill for you! I was never your disciple. I was your weapon! You used me as a weapon to enforce your power and authority, and when I turned from you, you used Zo'or. But you can only control people so long before they learn. Now, Zo'or has turned against you too. _That's_ why you want me to stay. You _need_ me! You need me as your sleeper. Your wolf in sheep's clothing! Your wretched enforcer!"

"You will _never_ touch the blue rose!" the high priest bellowed. "You will taste our wrath through the poison of the thorns. You will remain with us, or you will die. Either way, you will beg for our aid. Your renewed memories change nothing. You are still a dangerous and deadly criminal. You are a monster! A beast!"

"Let go!"

"You should have faced the Synod's trial, traitor."

"Get out of my mind!"

"Weak and pathetic traitor!"

* * *

Da'an awoke slowly to a faint voice in a white light. Someone was squeezing his hand and hard. Someone else's hand was on his forehead.

A faint voice…he could barely understand it. "_He's ice cold_…_never felt…before_."

_Liam? Renee?_

"Da'an…can you hear me?" Renee's soft voice asked.

Her hand was squeezing him so hard that his whole arm soon felt the pain. He squeezed back in an attempt to release his hand, but found his own strength suddenly drained.

"Da'an, you're not through yet," Renee said slowly and as calmly as she could. "Mem'na says that this is the last step of the ritual. It's going to be painful."

Ritual? He had been out of it so long that he had forgotten the ritual. If that was the case, were those images—the priests, his memories—was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision? No it was real. It had to be!

"If you ever need us Da'an, if you ever feel afraid, or if you ever want to quit," Liam said, "just listen for us. We'll always be here, and we'll be there to help you."

Ma'el had said something similar. It was comforting to know, but it did not relieve his dread. The priests had been waiting for this moment. They had been waiting for something…something terrible. All of this drifting between memories had been child's play as those divine charlatans waited for this moment. This would be when they would attack him. This is what Nye had been dreading.

A black shower interrupted Da'an's thoughts. Sharp pains ignited like fires all over his body, and he felt his body stop moving. There was a terrible tightness accompanied with a burning sensation as his body struggled to start up again. Soon, he found himself floating once more, and in front of him was a blue rose with strange thorns. Da'an could not control his hand as it reached for the rose. His hand wrapped itself around, and Da'an felt the painful sting of the thorns. The bud of the rose closed as if it had been alerted to the intruder, and Da'an saw and felt a blue liquid drain from his cut hand. As it dropped on the ground, Da'an fell backwards…

…and he knew he would never touch the rose…


	9. Chapter 9

Day Eight

One by one his systems would break down. His body was in a state of total shock right now. That was what Mem'na told them just before she left. Eventually he would die completely, and he would only have mere minutes to save himself. After ten minutes, they were to read the rites and turn off all the monitors. Do not even try to resuscitate him. Those last words were what stuck with Liam the most.

The energy shower worked much like the ones Liam and Renee were used to. The only difference was that there was a catch pod at the top center that particlized any liquid substance that was poured into it enabling it for Taelon absorption. Mem'na also explained to Liam the monitors that supervised Da'an's vitals. The top blue monitor displayed his neural activity. The middle green monitor displayed the rate of his energy flow. The bottom golden monitor displayed his core energy level.

According to the monitors, Da'an's energy circulation was completely frozen. However, his neural activity was still strong. Mem'na had told Liam and Renee that the poison worked much like the toxins in a blowfish. It paralyzed all functions in the body. It would take longer for Da'an's neural activity to cease functioning, but it was to be expected. It was almost like being in stasis.

Renee and Liam remained in the room the entire day just watching their friend's neural monitor. When people offered them food, they both declined to take any. Several times, Renee had just plain not noticed. They were just waiting for something—anything—to happen.

Upon nightfall, it started to rain once again. It was harder and dirtier this time. Not pleasant like last time. Renee watched it turn the once white snow on the grass into brown slush weaving and oozing around the temple's structure and between the trees. It was a cold, damp, and very nasty day. One brief humorous thought entered Renee's mind of how the weather well reflected her mood tonight.

"Pretty nasty night," Renee said putting on a thick robe Mem'na had given her.

"It's freezing too," Liam shivered miserably.

Renee threw him a blanket.

"I guess we should've taken Mem'na's offer when she came with that hot tea," Renee said.

"It would've gotten cold by now anyway," Liam said. "She's a good person."

"Better than that Alo'in," Renee said. "He's a jerk."

"I don't think he's so much a jerk as he is pessimistic," Liam said.

"If he was pessimistic, Da'an's lasting through all of this would've come as a pleasant surprise," Renee scoffed. "He's just bitter. It's almost as if he wants Da'an to fail just to prove himself right."

"Right now, I don't really care what he thinks," Liam said.

"It's just nice to have him out of the picture," Renee said. "But Mem'na…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm gonna miss her."

"Why can't you believe it?"

"I made a promise to myself that I'd just get in, get out, and get on with my life, pushing all of this crap out of my mind, no matter what happened," Renee said. "I never expected to get attached to a cult."

"Except Nye doesn't call it a cult," Liam said.

Renee sighed. "Just two more days. Two more days and we're out of here."

"In about four hours, it'll be one more day," Liam said.

"How do you know? You don't have a watch."

Liam stood up and led Renee to the window. "You see that moon over there—the one in the clouds?"

"No."

"That light behind the tree. See? It's right there between the branches. It's kind of small, but you can see it."

"Where are you looking? I can't—no wait. Oh! I see it."

"At night, it's always behind that tree. When it rises just above the tree, it'll be midnight here and the start of a new day."

"I can't believe you've been here long enough to figure that out."

Liam walked back to Da'an's bedside. "Neither can I."

Renee followed him and sat to the right of Da'an. She felt his palm. It was cold and stiff. It had that strange chill to it that Liam could not describe earlier.

Under Da'an's neck and on his legs and shoulders, Liam could see little pockets of energy appearing beneath his façade. "His façade's starting to fade out."

"It'll be gone when he…" Renee couldn't bring herself to finish. "I…I never thought I'd be this close to him and this far away at the same time. It's not right."

"I don't think he expected it either."

After that, all conversation ceased. After all they had gone through, there was nothing left to say.

* * *

It was raining where he was too. Da'an's biosuit was covered in mud and water when he awoke. When he sat up, he found himself sinking with every movement. He rose and sluggishly tried to maneuver his way out of the mud. He found that it was an endless swamp of rain and mud. There were no trees, there was no grass, and there was no solid ground. The level of slush was rising with every step he took. He could not figure out why he was here and how to break free.

The rose!

It was stung him with it's poison thorns. Now he knew where he was. He was dead, and this was his hell. He had been unworthy to touch the delicate blue rose that was his freedom, and he knew why. This was his punishment: to wander forever in an endless sea of mud.

"A fitting punishment, no doubt," a booming voice said. Da'an did not recognize the voice. It was not the high priest speaking to him now.

When he tried to turn around to find the voice, the thick mud caused him to trip. He slowly tried to steady his way on his feet, and then he saw…them!

The men in the black robes! They had tried to take him before. Da'an tried to back away, but the mud was so thick that he merely stumbled and fell backwards. Now he was stuck. There was absolutely nowhere to run.

"Who are you people?" Da'an demanded. "Why can't you just leave me?"

They removed their hoods. Extreme nausea attacked Da'an's torso. He felt his energy stop moving. So this was how it would all end. He was now to be judged by his own peers. The ones he had wronged.

Bel'lie, Zo'or, Sandoval, Jonathan Doors, and the Jaridian lieutenant he had killed were on one side. Renee, Lili, Boone, Joshua Doors, and Lucas Johnson were on the other side.

"You bitch!" Sandoval cried firing his skrill at Da'an.

Then blast was so powerful that Da'an was knocked five feet across the muddy sludge.

"Treacherous Taelon whore!" Bel'lie cried.

Joshua and the Jaridian grabbed Da'an by his arms and forced him to his feet.

"You lying little harlot," Jonathan said sinisterly. "Did you honestly think you could just run from your sins? Did you think that freeing yourself from the Commonality could make it all better?"

"How many more did you kill, Taelon?" the Jaridian whispered. "How many more are dead because of you?"

"What about humanity, Da'an?" Sandoval asked. "Exactly how many did you use like puppets? How many lives have you ruined?"

"Unhand me, you insubordinate lunatic!" Da'an shot back. "What makes you think you're anymore sinless than I?"

"Because you made me," Sandoval said lowly. He pushed Da'an into the Jaridian's arms and struck him clear across the face. "You took me from my wife. You implanted me with your virus, and you turned me into you!"

"I never forced you into anything!" Da'an cried.

"But you did force _me_," Boone said.

The Jaridian released Da'an back into the mud. Boone approached Da'an and pulled his head up to face him.

"My wife is dead because of you," Boone said as if he was more hurt than angry. "You killed her just so you could force me to serve you."

"That is not true," Da'an whispered sadly. "I never meant any harm towards your wife."

"What did she ever do to you, Da'an? When did she ever wrong you? She was innocent. All she ever did was love," Boone said painfully. "You took her from me for no other reason than to force me to serve you. And then, after all I did for you, you leave me in a blue tank to die."

"There was no way I could have known Zo'or was going to kill you," Da'an said. "I went to your funeral."

"Only to rid yourself of any shame you felt for ruining the lives of two innocent people," Joshua said. "But then, you've ruined a hell of a lot more than that, haven't you? Or did you forget about One Taelon Avenue? You turned me into a mindless minion. You turned me against my father and caused me to kill him."

"I had nothing to do with that," Da'an said. "That was Zo'or's project not mine."

"Always blaming it on someone else," Renee scoffed. "You are such a coward!"

"Why can't you just take responsibility for your sins?" Liam asked. "Why can't you just face the fact that you are nothing more than a treacherous, vile, lying, cheating scum?"

"You cannot mean that, Liam," Da'an cried desperately.

"Who will you blame for my pain?" Lucas asked. "The machines that plagued me with eternal pain? Who will you blame for my suffering? You acted like you were my friend. You pretended to actually give a damn, but instead of helping me, you dumped me on to another lab table an into another experiment—an experiment that left me a vegetable!"

"I only wanted to help you."

"Did you want to help me when you dumped me on a Jaridian planet to be used in experimentation?" Lili asked. "You were supposed to be my friend, and you betrayed me!"

"Bullshit! You betrayed _me_, you conniving Jezebel!" Da'an snapped. "You kidnapped me and tried to sacrifice me for that little half-breed you laughingly call a daughter."

With his shaquarava, the Jaridian knocked Da'an back into the mud hole. The pain was so great that Da'an couldn't move. Slowly his child approached him and pulled him up by the arm.

"Then, how did it feel, Da'an?" Zo'or asked slowly. "How did it feel to have the tables turned? How did it feel when you were the helpless one?"

"Let go!"

"We're not here to clean up your mess anymore, Da'an," Liam said. "You want redemption? Stop running from your problems."

"You do not understand," Da'an said. "The priests…"

"Had absolutely nothing to do with your sins," Renee said. "You chose to kill that Jaridian. You chose to turn Zo'or into a monster, and you chose to come to Earth and ruin our species. The priests aren't doing this, Da'an! You are!"

"No!"

"Why do you fear me when you look into my eyes?" Zo'or asked. "Do you see something familiar? Something that makes me like you? You should not fear me, Da'an. After all, you made me."

"It was a different time, Zo'or," Da'an panted. "We were at war. I was only trying to teach you how to survive."

"Oh, really?" the Jaridian asked. "Is that why you experimented on humans and slaughtered Jaridians?"

"What hurts the most Da'an?" Sandoval asked. "That you and I are two sides of the same evil coin? That you can't atone for any of your sins? Or is it that somewhere inside that guilt-stricken soul lies a part of you that actually enjoyed violating those souls?"

"I am nothing like you!"

"Two thousand years of death and destruction at your hands say an awful lot differently," Lili said.

Da'an felt something grab his leg. When he bent over to see it, he saw the scaly corpse of a Jaridian hand. Da'an tried to pull himself out when another hand grabbed his other leg. This time, it was a human hand. Stricken with fear, Da'an tried to pull the arms off of him, but he lost his balance and fell back into the mud. More and more dead arms grabbed him. He saw his judges gather around him to watch as he was pulled into the muddy swamp. There were so many! All were clawing at him, pulling him, ripping into his suit and tearing through his façade.

"You don't deserve to be free, Da'an," Liam said. "You are nothing more than a liar and a traitor, and we've decided to give the souls of all the lives you've ruined a chance to get back at you. That phony human skin of yours has fooled me for the last time."

Da'an barely heard him. He was too busy trying to free himself. But there were so many arms. So many souls! Had it really been this many? Had he truly hurt so many people? How could he possibly expect to atone for so many sins? They were all right. He truly was evil. All of this was a vain effort to hide from his true self. The mud was up to his head now, but the dead arms only increased. All he could do now was scream and beg for a quick death.

* * *

About two hours after their last conversation, exhaustion had finally won Renee over to sleep. She was awakened abruptly to the sounds of Da'an's screams. She saw that Liam was trying to hold a thrashing and hysterical Da'an back down on the cot. His vitals were critical, and his neural activity was off the charts.

"What the hell happened!" Renee yelled.

"I don't know!" Liam grunted trying to hold Da'an down. "He just started to spasm and then he started screaming."

Renee rushed over to help him. "Da'an, it's Renee!" she cried hoping he would hear. "You have to calm down. It's just a nightmare! It's not real!"

Their efforts only seemed to be making it worse however. With his eyes still closed and his body blushing frantically, Da'an was doing everything he could to try and free himself from Liam and Renee's grip. It was as if he was possessed!

Both Liam and Renee continued to plea for Da'an to calm back down. They pled for him to just hear them or even see them. But their efforts were for naught. There was a final jolt of energy as Da'an's entire body shut down. From his throat came one final and desperate gasp. At the midnight hour, as the moon rose above the tree, all three monitors flat-lined, and Da'an died away into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Day Nine

Renee and Liam were left speechless. They had no clue what to do. Should they just let it be, or should they try to resuscitate him? How do you even resuscitate a Taelon? The sky cracked with thunder. Liam took Renee's hand seeking some kind of comfort. _It shouldn't end this way. Not like this…_

They both approached the body and took its cold hands. They could barely touch it. The façade was gone. Soon it would disintegrate. They could feel it departiclizing. When Renee tried to touch the body's head, her fingers passed right through it as if it was nothing more than a ghost.

"There's got to be something we can do," Renee whispered. "We can't just sit back and accept this."

Liam had not heard her. He was listening. Mem'na had told them that when the time came, he would either hear or feel his companion calling to him. That was when he would know he was truly needed. Therefore, he listened. He quieted his mind to all the sights and sounds of the night storm.

Renee started pushing the body to awaken it, but her hands just passed right through. Blue particles of energy began to rise.

"Liam, we have to do something! Liam!"

Something told Liam to go to the window. He slowly rose and walked towards the tiny opening to the outside world.

"Liam, don't leave me here with him!" Renee cried. She tried to turn on the energy shower to see if that would work.

Liam looked outside. He had felt the weather grow colder. The sky had cleared suddenly, and in the moonlight, he saw tiny white flakes begin to fall.

"It's snowing, Renee."

"I don't care! Liam, help me!"

"Shh!"

Renee administered a look containing both pity and anger. His companion's death had put Liam in some kind of shock. He was too mesmerized to help anybody.

"We have to help him!"

"Renee, just listen for a second," Liam said. "Remember Mem'na? When he needs us, he will call for us. Just listen."

Renee sighed and moved away from the body just to humor Liam. Liam leaned forward to observe the corpse more closely.

* * *

_I am dead…I am dead…I am dead...I am…dead…_

Hello twin. I do not know if you can hear me. I especially do not know how to tell you this. I knew that if I told you this when you were awake, you would never remember it. So Tay'jay told me to talk to you while you slept.

_I am dead…I am dead…_

Your name is Da'an. You were born of Bel'lie, the primary parent, and Ja'lan, the secondary parent. In approximately sixty days, you and I will be taken to the priests, and when you return, you will have severed all ties with me. My older sibling and I will be strangers to you, and I will never see you again.

A great deal of pain and suffering await the both of us. One of us will survive it, the other will not. I still cannot tell which one for certain, but I assume it will be me. I assume it will be me because I am not strong enough to deal with this. Every time I had a terrible vision, I needed you there with me. You protected me and you comforted me. When I saw our planet die, I would have been driven mad without you. That is why, despite what many people think, I know that you are so much stronger than I will ever be. No matter how much someone hurts you, you never show your pain. You never show fear, and every time someone thinks they have destroyed you, you return stronger than before.

_Da'an…_

You are the only one strong enough to break free of the prison. I can see the prison bars, and so will you someday. For those Taelons that can see the prison bars, the prison will consume them. Your choice is either to forget or to die. You will forget about it because of the priests, and I will die. I will be driven mad by my own visions. I will die, and so will you, unless you can free yourself. I know you can. You were meant to.

_Da'an…can you hear me?_

Never be afraid to stand tall. Never be afraid to take chances, and especially never be afraid to ask questions and stand against your masters. They are not holy men, Da'an. They are not your masters, and you are nothing like them…because unlike them, you have the power to change. You have the power to face your darkest side. You have the power to conquer the beast within.

Da'an awoke to find himself buried under a grave of thick and wet mud. He could barely breathe. With all of his strength, he pushed his hand upward reaching for the surface. When he found the open air, he began to pull himself. Slowly he dug himself out of the hole. When he resurfaced, there was still no sky, it was still dark, and it was still raining. With little success, he tried to wipe the mud from his face. When he saw his arms, he found that his exo-covering had been shredded. His left forearm was exposed, and the exposed part was littered with cuts and gashes. His entire exo-covering on his left arm was gone save that of a tiny piece wrapped around his wrist like an awkward bracelet. He could feel that several pieces on his back and on his left foot hand been torn off. He tried to stand, but he was so tired that he collapsed to his knees. He wanted to believe Ma'el's words, but he could not forget about those terrible hands representing all the lives he had ruined. He could not forget all the hurtful words his friends and family had said.

When he lifted his head, he found a terrible sight. It was a battlefield. Taelon warships were flying over a devastated Earth. There were dead bodies everywhere. Volunteers and genetically altered humans were marching on a torn and destroyed city. They found families—women and children—hiding in the ruins. The younger ones, they captured and put in shuttles. The older ones they shot execution style. Pockets of resistance were popping up all over, but they were easily neutralized. Above the warships, Da'an could see the Mothership where Zo'or stood with a ruthless grin on his face.

Sandoval led one of the squadrons. In between the squad, Liam and Renee were in cuffs with tattered clothing and burns all over their face. Sandoval brought them to their knees and warmed up his skrill. They lifted their heads. They were looking at someone in the distance. Da'an searched in the direction his friends were staring and found…himself! He was standing atop a tattered building in a black and militant uniform with red eyes in a cold and callous glare. Sandoval looked up as well to acknowledge him. A cruel smile glided across his face. Looks of sorrow and anger appeared on Liam and Renee's face. He nodded to Sandoval and turned his back on his friends. Sandoval fired two shots and Liam and Renee collapsed.

_No!_

"Yes!" the high priest's voice whispered. He was alone now with Da'an. He grabbed him by the arm and jerked him to his feet. "This is where you belong. You were melded into complete obedience and designed to be our weapon. You cannot run from this, Da'an. It is why we chose you. You were chosen to convert the non-believers. You were chosen to get inside their minds and turn them into our servants. Humanity is nothing more than a soldier and a surrogate. Your duty to our species was to make the conversion easier for them. You were doing such an excellent job too."

"You cannot treat people like this," Da'an panted.

"You cannot run from your destiny," the high priest said. "This was the purpose of the Synod. This is why we protected you. Death, destruction, experimentation, torture, abduction, subterfuge—even when you try to do good, you fail. You fail because you were not meant to help them. You were never meant to aid the resistance. You were meant to destroy them. That is why you betrayed them. You were _meant_ to! You cannot redeem yourself from such unspeakable crimes. It is far too late. You belong with us."

"You are not a holy man…and neither am I."

"Ours is not the path of evil. Theirs is. They are impure beings meant only to be soldiers and surrogates. Ours is the path of righteousness. This is a holy war, and only the purest souls will survive. Even if you did flee, no human would have you. As far as they are concerned, you are just like them. Those humans back there do not care for you. They _want_ you to die. They _want_ you to fail. No one will ever have you but your brethren. You were meant for us. When we win this war, you will forget all of this and you will appreciate our efforts. Just give in. Just listen to the voices of our brethren. They are calling to you. No human will ever care for you. No human will ever love you. Only the Commonality is for you. We will always love you no matter what you do. We will always forgive you no matter the sins. We will always protect you no matter how badly you are injured."

_I am sorry, Ma'el. I am not strong enough._

Da'an gave in and collapsed in the priest's arms. The high priest began speaking a prayer of forgiveness in Eunoia.

_I am so sorry, Liam…Renee. _

_Da'an…I don't know if you can hear this, but it's me. It's Liam. I want you to forget the past and all of your sins, because I don't care about that anymore. You are not like the others. You never were. You are going to get through this because Renee and I are here to help you. We don't think you're a monster or a beast. You are our friend, no matter what happens, you will always be our friend. You've made it this far all by yourself. You've faced every memory and every challenge with courage and understanding. You will not quit, not when you're this close. You have to come back. You have to come back and fight. We need you. I need you._

Da'an opened his eyes to see Liam. He was looking straight at him with a face filled with hope.

_You are nothing like them…because you have the power to change…_

Da'an felt his strength return, and in one large swing, Da'an knocked himself out of the high priest's arms.

"You are not a holy man!" he yelled. He pushed his hand outward, and the high priest was thrown backwards.

"You ungrateful faithless harpy!" the high priest yelled. "After all that we have done for you! Look at yourself!"

"No! _You_ look!" Da'an shot back. "For over two-thousand years, you manipulated me into believing that I was a dark, cruel and treacherous killer. But as far as I'm concerned the only people out there who are dark and cruel are people like you!"

"How dare you!" the high priest roared. "You dare to undermine me!"

He unleashed a stream of fire from his belly, but Da'an somehow blocked the blast by placing his arms in front of his face.

"A holy man is virtuous," Da'an said launching a bolt of energy at the priest. The high priest dodged it by teleporting before it could hit him. He responded with his own powerful burst of energy. "A holy man is selfless." Da'an absorbed the priest's burst into his own hand and launched it back at him. The high priest rushed towards him in lightning speed and knocked Da'an on the muddy floor. "A holy man is tolerant." The entire muddy ground began to harden, and it grew hot. The rain that fell was not strong enough to convert the ground back into mud. It merely evaporated back into the sky. "A holy man embraces peace and understanding." Da'an stood on the hardened, hot ground. The wind began to pick up. "A holy man has courage." The high priest found his own power beginning to drain. The entire ground caught on fire, and the rain continued to fall. The blackness cleared to reveal a sky that was split by a crack of lightning. "A holy man is righteous." Da'an's eyes turned red. The rain turned into mist once it hit the fire and grew like a clear flame, shrouding Da'an's figure. "But most important of all…a holy man knows when to set his followers free."

The tornado of fire and mist slowly moved towards the priest. "I am not your pawn!" Da'an's voice echoed. "I am not your killer! I am not your slave!" A radiant burst of flames struck the priest's mask like a celestial arrow, shattering his mask. Behind the mast was the face of a very bewildered and frightened Taelon.

"What is it you want?" he whispered in a normal and…very mortal voice.

Ma'el had been correct. Da'an understood Ma'el's words perfectly. He saw his true strength, he saw the true face of the priest, and he knew his plan. The flames opened to reveal Da'an's true self. Strands of hair the color of the fire rose from her head. A white dress revealing a very feminine and humanoid figure had replaced Da'an's torn and tattered biosuit. "Mere tricks and premonitions are not the strongest mind," the blended voices of Da'an and Ma'el whispered, "and the soul is not limited to its own sins. To wound the calm, compassionate, and clear water is to only make me stronger. Split the sky with lightning and I am there. Melt the ice with fire and I rise."

"Blasphemer," the high priest said angrily. "You are nothing more than a traitor. Your parent was right. You are a demon. You may be free, fiend, but you have won nothing today."

"And neither have you."

"This is far from over."

The high priest teleported away, and the chaos subsided. The voices of the Commonality were gone—forever silenced. The sky cleared, and it began to snow.

* * *

Da'an's body jerked back into its façade. Liam and Renee jumped backwards. The façade phased in and out as if Da'an was devolving again. However instead of producing a beast, it produced a woman. The biosuit turned into a white dress, and a full head of red hair had grown. The monitors indicated that a heartbeat had restarted. Da'an jerked back into awareness and let out a deep gasp. She pushed herself onto her stomach and began coughing violently.

Liam and Renee rushed to her side, and helped her sit up.

"Da'an!" Liam whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I am freezing," she shuddered. She hunched over to overcome the sharp pain in her abdomen. Liam and Renee took their blankets and wrapped them around Da'an. A stinging sensation caused Da'an to look down as Liam and Renee whispered words of comfort and rejoice. Energy was escaping from several punctures in her hand, where the blue rose with the lithium thorns had cut her.

So she had been worthy after all…


	11. Chapter 11

Day Ten

When the light of day finally came, Da'an was still recovering. She was wrapped in several blankets and still shivering in Liam's arms when Nye, Mem'na, Alo'in and the others came. Mem'na had another bowl filled with a steaming hot liquid. The ministers surrounded the three and kneeled for them. Mem'na administered instructions for her nurses.

"You must drink this now," Mem'na said giving Da'an the bowl.

She was hesitant to accept, but in the end her nausea, her shivering and her hunger pains made her submit. Liam helped her drink it, and a strong blush followed every drop down her throat.

"It is good to have things clear again," Nye said looking out the window at the sunny, snowy weather.

One of the nurses activated the energy shower above Da'an, and another gave her a special hypothermia blanket.

Nye approached Da'an and took her hands. "Just one more thing," she said softly. "I must ask all my subjects this. Will you remain here?"

"You know I cannot do that," Da'an said feeling much better after the nurses' treatment.

"Here, you may live in peace amongst our people," Alo'in offered. "We can care for you. You are safe from the priests here. There is no war and no conflict. Just peace and prosperity."

"I probably would have accepted your offer if situations were different," Da'an said. "But until I can help correct the mistakes made on Earth, my place is there. I belong to them now until they do not need me anymore."

Renee and Liam smiled.

"That is your choice, and we respect it," Mem'na said. "We wish you all the best."

"If you ever need anything from us, you know where to find me," Nye said. "You have accomplished something wonderful today. We will leave you to use this day to rest and celebrate." Nye pulled out something from beneath her robe. It was under a blue cloth. "Here."

Da'an opened the cloth. It was a blue rose with lithium thorns.

"Oh my God!" Renee exclaimed.

"It is real," Da'an said observing the thorns. "The legend was true."

"Not quite," Nye said. "The crystal glove was added in millions of years ago to promote Taelon innovation. The real Urumu did not require anything to touch the rose. He held it with his bare hands by power of sheer will…like you."

"You have earned that," Mem'na said. "Nye only gives it to those who truly deserve it. Nobody has willingly opposed the priests and lived to tell about it."

"Treasure that like you would your life. It represents emancipation," Alo'in said.

"Thank you," Da'an said. "But I cannot stay here any longer than I have to. I would like to leave immediately."

"Thank God," Liam muttered to himself.

"I will escort you to a ship. We have pilots there who will take you home," Nye said.

Liam and Renee helped Da'an stand. They took one last look at the room and the people who had helped them, and they left with mixed feelings of relief and appreciation.

* * *

Nye led them to the same launch pad from whence they came. The ship waiting for them was smaller, but it was still larger than a shuttle. She stepped aside for them to leave, but Da'an put her hand up in protest. She walked back out into the woods to where she and Renee had spent time at the creek. Renee and Liam rushed after her in concern.

"What is it?" Liam asked her.

Da'an just handed him her blanket. Then, she stepped into the water and walked out until it reached her calves. She then kneeled to her knees immersing herself from the waist down. She stared at the calm ripples in a posture that made her appear to be a priestess herself.

"What the hell is he doing?" Liam asked.

"_She's_ looking for something," Renee said with a grin.

Da'an rose out of the creek, walked back to dry land, and asked for the blanket. Liam was quick to put it on. "Okay. Now we can go," she said.

"Did you find it?" Renee asked as they walked back.

"I found a lot of things," Da'an replied. "I am still here."

Renee nodded and walked her back to the ship.

Nye was waiting for them. She and Da'an waited for Liam and Renee to board.

"How many others?" Da'an asked her quietly.

"No others," Nye replied. "Just you. I am sorry."

"I know why I survived," Da'an said. "I understand it all now. I also know what the priests are planning to do and why you chose the blue rose."

"Evolution is a vicious cycle," Nye agreed.

Da'an nodded. For a long time they watched the last cloud over the mountain pass and fade away.

"I have heard of some lost ones in the Ma'hatu Galaxy, seven hundred light-years away from Maru'vha. They tend to accumulate around the old Haru System."

"The prison system," Da'an said.

"It used to be," Nye said. "Ever since your journey to Earth, the warlords have overtaken it. There are many thieves, mercenaries, smugglers, gangsters and bounty hunters there. The conflicting laws established by the warring lords have turned it into a lawless land. It is also dangerously close to Jaridian territory."

"I will send Liam and Renee back to Earth, and then I will journey there myself," Da'an said.

"It is a perilous place," Nye said. "Diplomats are far from welcome there."

"Is it the only lead you have?"

"Yes, sadly," Nye said hesitantly.

"Then, that is where I have to go," Da'an said. "Hopefully I will not be there long."

"You know those two will not want you to go, and when they realize you have to they will follow no matter what you say," Nye said.

"I know, but it never hurts to ask. The worst they can tell me is no."

Nye nodded humorously. "I am very proud of you."

"Me too," Da'an said.

Nye held a lock of Da'an's hair and chuckled. Da'an smiled and walked on to the ship. Nye continued to gaze at the clear sky long after it had left.

"Ma'el, did you predict this or did you create it?" she asked the sun.

There was no answer. But then, Nye had not expected one. After all, her services were no longer required. Her duty was done, her journey was over, and now, she could rest and find her own peace.

The End


End file.
